The Dalai Lama will be in conversation with eminent legal ethics expert, Professor Sheila McLean from the University of Glasgow, at a public event on Saturday 19 November at 10am-11.45am.

Run by the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association the event entitled "Ethics for the New Millennium" will be held at the Edinburgh Usher Hall and will be chaired by the former Scottish Episcopal Primus and Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway.

Topics for discussion include: Non-religious ethics, religion and conflicts and the impact of 'Western' society on Islam, religion and spirituality, gender and sexuality, the environment, bio-ethics such as the use of new genetic technologies, and voluntary euthanasia.

In particular Professor Sheila McLean will ask the Dalai Lama to expand on his claim that he considers himself part Buddhist part Marxist, and his views on whether there is ever a justification for armed conflict.

This is the second visit to Edinburgh by His Holiness The Dalai Lama in less than eighteen months. The June 2004 visit was a number of years in planning and this visit was only confirmed two months ago.

Professor Sheila McLean comments:

"It is a tremendous honour to have been invited to have a conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I have been reading his autobiography recently and will be fascinated to speak with someone who has had such an amazing life and remained true to his beliefs throughout."

Visit Co-ordinator, Victor Spence, General Secretary of the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association said: "When I met with His Holiness earlier in the year in India there was no notion of this visit. When I received a call in July that there was a real possibility of His Holiness returning to Scotland so soon I just couldn't believe it! His Holiness really enjoyed his last visit in 2004 and has many good memories of Scotland. I know Professor Sheila McLean and Richard Holloway are really looking forward to it."

Richard Holloway said: "I am looking forward to chairing what should be a stimulating discussion between the Dalai Lama and one of Scotland's most stimulating thinkers."

The Dalai Lama will also give a keynote address on 'Cultivating Warm-heartedness' at a major conference for educators on "Leading the Way on Positive Education" which will also have contributions from University of Glasgow Faculty of Education Professor Bart McGettrick, and Sister Jayanti BK, Norman Drummond and Neil Hawkes.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further details contact the University Press Office on 0141 330-3535, or Victor Spence 07909 618236.

For tickets, priced ?14.00 (plus ?1 booking fee) contact the Edinburgh Usher Hall Box Office on 0131 228-1155.

Professor McLean is the first holder of the International Bar Association Chair of Law and Ethics in Medicine and Director of the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine at the University Glasgow. She has acted as a consultant to the World Health Organisation and the Council of Europe, and to individual States. She has published extensively in the area of medical law, is on the Editorial Board of a number of national and international Journals.

First published: 7 November 2005