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 by different colors. The Green Tara offers compassion, sympathy and fearlessness to the believers.
”She’s a remover of obstacles,” said Chophel. ”She’s there to rescue.”