Dalai Lama to Share Stage With Russell Brand

WENN, Friday, June 8, 2012, 8:16am (PDT)

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• Comedian Russell Brand will share the stage with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at an upcoming event in Manchester, England.

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  The Buddhist icon is to address thousands of young people at the Manchester Evening News Arena on June 16, and Brand will join the religious figure as a master of ceremonies, the Tibet House Trust has announced.

  Brand was selected by trust officials because he turned to spirituality to beat his drug and alcohol demons.

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  The Dalai Lama's representative for Northern Europe, Thubten Samdup, says in a statement, "We are delighted to have Russell Brand as master of ceremonies for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Russell has demonstrated the power of spirituality to effect change in his own life. Change begins from within, from the grassroots up, one person at a time. So, in addition to meeting Presidents and Prime Ministers, His Holiness the Dalai Lama believes that it is essential to inspire ordinary citizens -- especially young people -- to find meaning and purpose in their lives."

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