By Laura Beitman
Lebanon – Outside, men unloaded kegs of beer from a truck, while inside, men laid out sand.
The sand, colored from gold to blue hues, was scooped up and delicately poured into a circular pattern symbolizing compassion.
Sandwiched between Citizens Bank and Salt Hill Pub & Cafe on Park Street, Dolma Ling, a nonprofit center representing a Tibetan monastery in South India, opened Sunday in downtown Lebanon. The center is the only U.S. location for the monastery, Gaden Jangtse Tsawa Khangtsen, where 250 monks reside.
The center fills one of the last vacancies in the commercial district and will serve as a resource for Buddhists in New England and those interested in learning about and participating in Tibetan meditation, said Janie Dvorak Compton, the center’s director.
Monks from the monastery have been visiting the Upper Valley, including Dartmouth College and local churches, since 1997, said Dvorak Compton, who lives in Lyme. For some time, the organization had been looking for a place to establish a permanent home and chose Lebanon for its quiet, clean atmosphere, she said. The group started leasing the 1,700-square-foot space — formerly occupied by a travel agency, Toys for Tots and a campaign office — three months ago, she said.
“In New York and Boston, people are so busy,” said Geshe Geylong, 34, a Tibetan who is serving as one of the center’s leaders. “We like the town, the nice people.”
So far, the center has received a positive reception from neighboring businesses and residents, she said. “We’ve had a surprising number of people come in and say, ‘I’m a practicing Buddhist,’ ” she said.
According to the Office of Tibet, the New York-based foreign agency representing the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, there are 6 million Tibetans in the world, with 3,500 in the United States. Few Tibetans live in New Hampshire, though about 70 live in Burlington and 200 live in Boston, said Annie Warner, a special assistant to the representative of the Dalai Lama. The number of Tibetans coming to the area is growing, she said.
Standing in the pedestrian mall in downtown Lebanon yesterday, Lebanon resident Emily Fitzmorris, 18, said it was nice to have some diversity. “It’s different to drive by and see them praying,” she said. “They are sharing a piece of their heritage.”
Yesterday, passers-by peeked their heads in the door of the center or entered to take a quick look at the sand display, called a sand mandala. Tibetans Song Dorji, 25, and Geshe Jigmerapten, 35, dressed in traditional Tibetan maroon and gold robes, sat on pillows and simultaneously bent down to place the sand in its pattern. They used long metal instruments, scraping a file on a tube to create enough of a vibration to slowly release the sand. The sound was constant, a quieter version of subway wheels on a track.
The ritual is done the same way it was done when Buddha lived 2,500 years ago, Dvorak Compton said. Its meaning comes from a story of Buddha teaching a wealthy king, who was attached to material things, to create the sand mandala and then destroy it, she said. The mandala will be worked on all week and then dismantled during a ceremony Sunday.
“It’s to teach us the lesson of impermanence and nonattachment,” she said. “We still learn that lesson today.”
Dvorak said she is still working on setting the hours and schedule for the center, which will be open to the public for meditation, talks on Tibetan Buddhism and sales of Tibetan handicrafts, including clothing, jewelry and scarves. Proceeds of the sales will go to covering the operating expenses of the center, while the remainder will be used to support the monastery and Tibetan children in exile, she said.
Karen Engdahl, a nurse educator for the Women’s Health Resource Center, which relocated to the mall from Buck Road in Hanover about a year ago, said she welcomed the increased activity in the mall over the past few months.
“I think it’s great that they’re here,” Engdahl said. “We’re building sort of a wellness atmosphere with the yoga center. It’s very positive.”
“Any time you bring more traffic to the area, the better,” said Joe Tuohy, 37, who opened Salt Hill Pub & Cafe with his brother Josh seven weeks ago. “I think our customers will embrace it with open arms.”
Waiting for a ride yesterday, Cornish resident Rita Bannister, who works as a housekeeper for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said she doesn’t shop in downtown Lebanon. “It doesn’t matter to me,” she said of the center.
