It will be a low-key meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader, who is in Washington for an 11-day Buddhist ritual. When the president met with the Nobel Peace laureate in February 2010, it angered China.
The two will meet in the Map Room, not the Oval Office, which is reserved for visiting heads of state, and the meeting will be closed to reporters.
A White House official says Obama would like representatives of the Dalai Lama to be allowed to meet with Chinese authorities to resolve their differences. China has accused the Dalai Lama of pushing for Tibetan independence and is calling on Obama to cancel Saturday's meeting.
