By SULAIMAN BEG
VALLEY COTTAGE — After the death of her 11-year-old dog, Samantha, CJ Hollenberg turned to the Buddhist faith to cope with the loss.
“It hit me hard,” the Suffern resident said.
Her husband, Joel, who has been fascinated by the religion for 44 years, read to her daily from a book by a Tibetan author.
The words he read helped ease her pain.
“It was full of specific mental exercises and prayers,” she recalled. “I realized then how sensible, compassionate and logical the whole philosophy was.”
Two weeks ago, the couple, Joel, who is Jewish, and CJ, an Episcopalian, took the three refugee vows and converted to Buddhism at a monastery in Woodstock.
“We’re still blessed,” CJ Hollenberg said with a smile.
The Hollenbergs joined close to 30 other people interested in the Tibetan culture yesterday at the Tsong Kha Institute, located at the Tolstoy Foundation Center, to celebrate Losar, the Tibetan new year.
The celebration, which features traditional food, music, costumes, chanting and prayers, continues today from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. There is no fee, but donations are welcome.
The Year of the Wood Monkey, which is year 2131, started Feb. 19, said Tashi Rabten, the institute’s director.
The celebration also served as a belated grand opening for the institute, which opened three weeks ago, Rabten said.
“It’s good for the people to see what’s going on with the culture and what we’re teaching,” he said.
Rabten, who immigrated from Tibet to the United States 10 years ago, said the creation of the institute would allow for more Tibetans to settle in Rockland.
“Religion is very important,” he said. “It is our culture. As soon as you have a monastery, people will come. Prayer is our priority.”
Visitors snacked on traditional foods like soksok — a flour-based treat, meat dumplings, and vegetable and rice.
Soothing Tibetan music played on a nearby stereo.
Eleven thangkas — a kind of Tibetan scroll-banner painting — hung from the main room where Lama Aka Rinpoche, with Rabten translating, thanked people for coming.
Before reading from a prayer book, Rinpoche gave a brief history of the country, including China’s invasion more than a half-century ago that lead to the killing of more than 1 million Tibetans.
“Tibetan people are supposed to be very angry,” Rinpoche said. “But we don’t have much anger to revenge, because we have a great religion that says don’t be angry with your enemies.”
The institution, which is open Thursdays and Sundays and provides general information on the country’s culture, health practices, yoga and meditation, is renting the space, said Elizabeth Steward, Web master for the foundation.
She said the relationship between the Tolstoy Foundation and Tibet has been a close one, since founder Alexandra Tolstoy assisted refugees in the 1920s.
Lynna Kreimann of Nyack said she was attracted to the Tibetan culture because of its history.
“It’s not a flash in the pan,” she said. “It’s been around a long time. And this is a great opportunity to meet more people.”
Martha Siegriest of New City will travel to Tibet in April and came to the institution yesterday to learn about its people and culture.
“I like to travel and it’s always been on my list,” she said. “I always had a mystical fascination with it. It’s nice to talk to people about it. They have insight I could never get from a book.”
Linda Menegaux said that learning about other cultures and religions made her a better Catholic.
“I like to learn a lot about different religions, cultures and their spirituality,” the Valley Cottage woman said. “It just helps me so much. We all have a lot to learn from everyone’s beliefs.”
