# Dalai Lama Visits New York City September 01, 2003 Source: The Journal-News (NY) On September 1, 2003, *The Journal-News* ran an article on the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to New York City, stating that "the Dalai Lama has become one of America's most recognized and revered religious leaders, a figure in saffron robes and flip-flops held in the same kind of esteem as Pope John Paul II and Billy Graham, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. On Sept. 21, when he speaks in Central Park about cultivating virtuous habits, tens of thousands of New Yorkers will sit in lotus positions to hear his message and soak in that special something — virtue? honesty? simplicity? humility? — that has made the 68-year-old Dalai Lama perhaps America's most unlikely superstar." See also:- [ Dalai Lama ](/news-stories/dalai-lama) - [ Center Openings/Milestones ](/news-stories/center-openingsmilestones) - [ Buddhism ](/religions/buddhism) - [ International ](/tags/international) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)