HORSHAM woman Nkandu Beltz will be master of ceremonies at a conference headlined by the Dalai Lama.
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Ms Beltz will host the second day of the Happiness and Its Causes conference in Sydney on June 11.
She said she was excited to take on the role.
‘‘There’s been more than 2000 people registered to attend already – I’m still pinching myself,’’ she said.
‘‘Being MC, that means I get to meet and introduce all the speakers.’’
It will be the second time Ms Beltz has been close to Tibet’s spiritual leader after she interviewed him in 2013.
She said their first encounter had led her to the view that the Dalai Lama was a good person.
‘‘When I was on stage two years ago, I had gone through the briefing of what to ask and, as I was walking on the stage, I was really nervous,’’ Ms Beltz said.
‘‘As I was walking towards him, he reached out with his hand and as soon as he held my hand there was just this sense of calmness.
‘‘We talked about what it was to be the Dalai Lama and women’s rights.’’
Ms Beltz said she was surprised by the Dalai Lama’s response, as he opposed the use of religion or tradition to oppress women.
‘‘His views weren’t based on religion, they came from humanity,’’ she said.
‘‘The core message is cultivating good qualities of the human being – and we all have those good qualities.
‘‘It’s about tapping into that, regardless of our cultural and religious background.’’
Ms Beltz said she must have done a decent job to be invited back to host June’s conference with the Dalai Lama.
The Happiness and Its Causes conference will also feature a range of international and Australian speakers, including writer Gretchen Rubin, comedian Ruby Wax, former Greens leader Bob Brown, musician Ben Lee, author John Marsden and personal trainer Michelle Bridges.
The conference features a range of workshops and master classes relating to happiness.
Tickets for the conference range from $1314.50 to $2227.50, but Ms Beltz said she had discounted tickets for those interested in attending.