LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- The experience of living in Tibet and working with the monks of the Dali Lama will be the focus of a lecture by a New Jersey minister in observance of Asian Studies Month at Rider University.

The Rev. Dr. Gabriel Coless, OSB, will give a presentation titled "East & West: Experiment in Living and Understanding in Tibet," on Thursday, April 16, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. in Student Center room 237 on the University's Lawrenceville campus.

A Benedictine monk of St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, NJ, Coless was part of a group of monks and nuns who recently went to Tibet at the behest of the Dali Lama to learn about monasticism in that region. A great deal of the dialogue centered around understanding and appreciating modes of expression of ideas and attitudes toward the divine and worship.

His talk will deal with his experiences in Tibet and will discuss the differences and similarities in the Asian and Western mind with regards to religious thought, practice, and intellect.

Coless completed doctoral studies in romance philology under Mario Pei at Columbia University. He also holds doctorates in theology and liturgy from the Liturgical Institute of Saint Anselm in Rome, Italy, and currently teaches patristics and various courses on liturgy at Drew University and Rutgers University.

To obtain further information on the program, contact Rider's Catholic Campus Ministry at (609) 896-0394.

Rider University's Lawrenceville campus is located five miles south of Princeton and three miles north of Trenton on Route 206 in Lawrence Township, NJ.  The campus is one-half mile south of exit 7A of Interstate 95.