The Dalai Lama says his doctors are advising him to rest, so he is canceling a planned October visit to the United States that included receiving the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader made the announcement on his website Friday, a few hours after the University of Colorado announced he had canceled his visit there.
The 80-year-old Dalai Lama was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, this week for what was described as a check-up.
"We deeply regret cancellation of the visit and apologize to everyone who have worked so hard in organizing the visit as well as to the public who have been looking forward to the visit," said the statement. "We thank everyone for their support and understanding and would like to consider rescheduling the visit in the future.”
The statement gave no more details about his condition and his representative did not immediately respond to an AP email seeking additional comment.
The Dalai Lama will receive the 2015 Liberty Medal for his work promoting human rights worldwide, the National Constitution Center said.
“We are so pleased to announce His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the recipient of the 2015 Liberty Medal,” said National Constitution Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen while announcing the Lama's honor. “In his advocacy for Tibetans and for human rights worldwide, the Dalai Lama has always emphasized the ideals of freedom, dialogue and tolerance.
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The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was set to receive the medal at an Oct. 26 ceremony.
The Liberty Medal, given annually, was founded in 1988 to honor people who show “courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.” Some tickets to the event will be released to the general public in September, said the Constitution Center.
