The smell of incense filled the room as more than 60 people gathered for a Green Tara empowerment ceremony at the Akron-Canton Shambhala, [Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio].

Four Tibetan monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India assisted in the ceremony held this week at the Buddhist meditation center on Portage Trail.

The four monks are on a tour of the country.

Jangchub Chophel said he and the other three are among about 1,000 monks living in a refugee camp in southern India.

Buddhists use meditation and ritual to achieve wisdom and a spirit of peace and purity. The female deity Tara represents compassion, enlightened activity and relief from bad karma.

Tara has 21 major forms represented …