Friday marks the beginning of a very auspicious week for Buddhists and others in the Madison area and for our guests from around the world.

On this seventh public visit to Madison since 1978, the 14th Dalai Lama will be speaking and teaching at a number of public events co-sponsored by the Deer Park Buddhist Center and the North American Tibetan Associations, under the guidance of Geshe Lhundub Sopa, Deer Park director and abbot.

What sets this occasion apart is the historic nature of the "Long Life Offering " (Tenshug in Tibetan) that will be offered to the Dalai Lama on July 24.

This is a traditional and elaborate ritual requesting the spiritual teacher to live a long life for the preservation of Buddhist teachings and the happiness of all living beings. An extensive Tenshug for a Dalai Lama has never been performed in the Western Hemisphere.

Relatively few people in the world ever have the opportunity to directly see and hear the Dalai Lama, but we in Madison have been fortunate to have him visit a number of times.

We believe this good fortune is not an accident, but rather is the direct result of the kindness and generosity of the Madison-area community.

In 1968, when Geshe Sopa was invited to teach at UW-Madison, very few people would have predicted that an internationally known center for the teaching and study of Tibetan Buddhism would flourish in the countryside of Wisconsin.

That it did is a testament to the open minds and open hearts of Madison and surrounding communities.

On this notable occasion, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for the support shown to Deer Park Buddhist Center and the local Tibetans over the years.

Though the names are too numerous to list individually, we are extremely grateful to the many people who have played a role in the success of both Deer Park and the Tibetan community.

We would like to thank Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, town of Dunn Chairman Ed Minihan, and other supporters for going out of their way to welcome the Dalai Lama and to express their support for us.

We thank the Dalai Lama for so generously sharing his spirit of compassion and wisdom, as well as accepting our offering of Long Life prayer.

We invite the people of Madison to join us at this week 's historic events, for it would not have been possible without you.

Wertlake of Madison is a volunteer at the Deer Park Buddhist Center.