Tibetan Information Office (TIO) is based in Canberra.

World’s Largest Book on Display in Miami to Honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Bhutan, the world's largest book, is displayed with a special exhibit at Miami University's Walter Havinghurst Special Collections on the third floor of King Library. Photo by Meagan Engl/The Oxford Press
The Bhutan, the world's largest book, is displayed with a special exhibit at Miami University's Walter Havinghurst Special Collections on the third floor of King Library. Photo by Meagan Engl/The Oxford Press
Dharamshala: The King Library on Miami University’s campus has put on display the largest book in the world as part of its special collections.

“The Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom” is part of an exhibit in honour of the upcoming visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Bhutan measures 5 feet by 7 feet when opened and weighs 133 pounds, The Oxford Press reported.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will make a presentation at Miami University on 21 October in Millett Hall titled, “Ethics in a Modern World.”

The display is free and open to the public during special collections hours. Everyone is invited to make an appointment to turn a page in the book, Janet Stuckey, of special collections, was quoted as saying by The Oxford Press.

“Buddhism: An Exhibit in Honor of the Dalai Lama’s Visit” features books written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Time Magazine cover featuring him, the Life cover on his flight from Tibet to India and more.

Just a few of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 72 publications are on display, but the library does have all on hand. Many of his books focus on happiness, Stuckey said.

“It isn’t necessarily about Buddhism, but it’s about living in harmony. That’s why he’s a man of peace,” Stuckey said.

Miami established a relationship with the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India, during summer workshops in Tibet led by two faculty in anthropology from 2004-2008. His Holiness is a patron of this institute, one of the premier institutions for study of Buddhist thought and philosophy.

After university faculty visited Dharamsala and signed an affiliation agreement, Miami began offering a Tibetan studies semester programme last fall. It will be offered annually in the fall.

Venerable Geshe Kalsang Damdul, from the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, visited Miami and held a prayer flag ceremony here last February to commemorate the affiliation agreement.