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Three horses graze idly in a pasture, a stone’s throw away

from neighborhoods of newly built suburban houses. It’s

a typical Midwestern scene just outside the quaint college

town of Bloomington, home of Indiana University. But

drive just a little further down the rural road and, to

paraphrase Dorothy, “We’re not in Indiana anymore.”

Entering through the brightly painted gates of the

Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, visitors are

transported to another place—a place where traditional

Mongolian tents dot the grassy clearings and Buddhist

monks wearing orange and red robes dart in and out of

buildings. The gold-leaf peaks of two massive monu-

ments are just visible over the tree tops.

When the Dalai Lama visited the United States in

October 2007, the first leg of his whirlwind journey was

a stop at the White House for a controversial meeting

with President Bush. After that, the Nobel Peace Prize

winner was off to Bloomington, Indiana, for the second

leg of his visit. Why this place? It was founded by the

Dalai Lama’s older brother, for starters. Now, it is a

major outpost for the Dalai Lama and Buddhism in the

West with the lofty goals of promoting peace, harmony,

compassion, and interfaith dialogue.

MEGAN TSAI

Opposite: The Kalachakra Chortenstupa was built in 1999 for worldpeace and harmony. The shape ofthe monument resembles thebody of Buddha and is meant toevoke his physical presence.

Near East Meets MidwestInterpreting peace in the shadow of unrest at

the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center

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Peace on EarthThe Dalai Lama teaches that beforethere can be world peace, we mustfind inner peace; it’s one of theguiding principals of Buddhism. TheTibetan Cultural Center is designedto enhance visitors’ understanding ofpeace both within and without.

“The person should have a basicpeace inside,” says the TibetanCultural Center director ArjiaRinpoche. “And then other kinds of

peace come from that. With every-thing we do here, we’re thinkingpeace first.”

Wandering the cultural center’sgrounds is one way to seek—andpossibly find—elusive inner peace.The heavily forested area is home tomany animals and birds, includingseveral varieties of woodpeckers.Because Buddhists believe in thesacredness of life and respect for theenvironment, resident wildlife is

treated with a reverence by themonks. Plans to expand their networkof nature trails throughout thegrounds are currently in the works.

“We’re committed to protectingnature and keeping the environmentbeautiful,” says Rinpoche. “In thefuture, we’re also thinking aboutadding an interfaith garden.”

For visitors needing a little moretime to find their center, fourMongolian-style retreat cottages

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called yurts as well as 11 traditionaltents called gers are available forovernight stays. The cottages offerthe bare minimum—that means nophones or televisions—and the tentsoffer even fewer amenities. In thesehectic times, this kind of relaxationmay be exactly what many peopleneed to foster inner calm.

“In this world, everyone is verybusy,” says Rinpoche. “There are carsand cell phones, emails and Internet.

Our concept is that in coming hereyou have to forget everything. Whenyou go through the entrance arch,you are in a peaceful place. You comehere to meditate and recall that innerpeace we used to have.”

The buildings on the groundsencourage contemplation of the largerissues of world peace. Two gold-topped monuments called stupastower above the grounds. The firststupa recognizes the plight of Tibetanrefugees, the second promotes worldpeace. Both were dedicated by theDalai Lama. The gold-leaf tops of thestupas contain sacred objects,including the cremated remains ofdeceased monks.

As visitors search for inner peace,these monuments serve as remindersof the Buddhist belief that the way toachieve peace is through compassion,awareness, and dialogue.

“If a person does not have inner

peace, he cannot interact with otherscalmly,” says board member SudhaKoneru. “If you have inner peace,you can react calmly to your spouse,your children, your neighbor, yourworld. That is the way you bringabout peace.”

The Kumbum Chamtse LingInterfaith Temple at the far end ofthe grounds offers a quiet settingfor meditation, and is open topeople of all faiths. The elaboratedecorations are breathtaking, fromthe heavily adorned Buddha to theintricately beaded tapestries.Perhaps most remarkably, religioussymbols from many faiths—including Catholic, Baha’i, Jewish,Hindu, and Islam—are displayedprominently in the temple. Culturalcenter leaders emphasize that this isa place for people to find peace intheir own way, and to learn aboutTibetan culture in the process.

Above: Arjia Rinpoche (left) and the Dalai Lama dine at TibetanMongolian Buddhist Cultural Center luncheon hosted by ElaineMellencamp, wife of singer John Mellencamp.

Left: This intricately beaded tapestry in the Kumbum Chamtse LingTemple took Tibetan artists three years to complete.

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Humble BeginningsThe story of this Midwesterncultural oasis begins on the otherside of the world, with the birth of ababy boy in a small Tibetan moun-tain village. The boy, ThubtenNorbu, was tapped to live the life ofa monk at age three. After he turnedeight in 1930, monks arrived atNorbu’s small cottage and took himto the Kumbum Monastery, thelargest monastery in Eastern Tibet.Norbu rose through the ranks andwas appointed abbot at age 27. Thenin a life-changing turn of events,Norbu’s younger brother was namedthe 14th Dalai Lama.

Norbu faced another drasticchange in 1950, when Kumbum wasone of the first areas invaded by thePeople’s Republic of China. Duringthe invasion, Norbu was placedunder house arrest and followed 24hours a day. Chinese officials toldNorbu he must travel to the Tibetancapital of Lhasa and denounce theTibetan government and his 15-year-old brother the Dalai Lama.Pretending to go along with the plan,Norbu traveled to the capital, warnedhis brother about the seriousness ofthe Chinese invasion and then fledthe country.

After escaping to the UnitedStates, Norbu began his work as anadvocate for Tibetans in exile andjoined the faculty of IndianaUniversity in Bloomington as aprofessor of Tibetan studies. In1979, Norbu established theTibetan Cultural Center to promotepeace and help Tibetans around theworld. While Norbu still lives onthe grounds, his health problemsled the Dalai Lama to appoint ArjiaRinpoche as the center’s new leaderin 2005. The new director is anoted Tibetan scholar and archi-tect. Rinpoche is taking the centerin a new direction and growing itsrole in the local community. In2007, the mission of the center wasexpanded and it was renamed theTibetan Mongolian BuddhistCultural Center.

The Center’s MissionAs the cultural center grows, itsmission and goals have changed aswell. The Dalai Lama initially laid outthree goals for the center: to educatethe West about Buddhism, to helppreserve culture and tradition amongMongolians in the West, and topromote a cultural exchange withTibetans. In addition to that basicmission, the cultural center is increas-ingly working to reach out to boththe local community and to Tibetansand Mongolians in the United States.In recent years, it has been the site ofpopular community events includingtraditional ceremonies, a culturalfestival, and even a blessing for localpets and their owners.

“We’re open to everybody, andthat’s important because someone inthe Midwest can come to Indianaand still learn the Tibetan andMongolian cultures,” says Rinpoche.“They can come here and learnabout the culture, learn about life,learn about our language, and seewhat our food looks like.”

Perhaps the most significantoutreach effort is the initiation ofinterfaith dialogues in the commu-nity. During the Dalai Lama’s visit,leaders from nearly every major faithcame to greet the famous leader.Rinpoche is quick to point out thatwhile religion is often the wedge thatdivides us, it can just as easily befaith that draws us together.

“Every religion emphasizes somekind of kindness and love andcompassion, but some people usereligion for terrible things, like war,”says Rinpoche. “We should have adialogue and work together and usethese things we have in common tomake society beautiful and createharmony and cooperation.”

Tibetan exiles and Mongoliansalso travel long distances to experi-ence the taste of home offered by thecultural center. Hundreds of themvisited from all corners of thecountry to visit during the DalaiLama’s stay, packing the yards, fillingthe Mongolian tents, and lining thelong road through the center towitness his arrival. Throughout the

The Buddha statue in theKumbum Chamtse Linginterfaith temple is filledwith sacred objects.

30 March/April 2008

week, the Tibetan exiles continuedtheir gathering in the grassy clear-ings and buildings—sharing stories,celebrating, and laughing.

The Tibetan Cultural Center worksto pass down Tibetan culture to theyoungest generation by holding anannual summer camp for Tibetanand Mongolian children living in theUnited States. The camp’s goals are tocreate a close-knit network amongthese children, who are scatteredacross the United States, and to helpthem develop understanding andpride in their cultural heritage.

“They love this place and they lovethis program,” says Rinpoche. “Whenthey come here they feel like they’reback at home. They learn so muchand they enjoy themselves so much.”

Tibet in TurmoilWhile the Tibetan Cultural Centeritself is not political, it’s hard to missthe “Free Tibet” bumper stickers onmost of the cars parked in its lots.Even as the cultural center interprets

concepts of peace and tolerance forvisitors, the political situation inTibet grows increasingly turbulent.The People’s Republic of China haslong claimed Tibet as part of China.However the Tibetan Government in

Exile, led by the Dalai Lama, claimsTibet is an independent country.While no country has recognizedTibet as an independent nation,advocacy groups such as theInternational Tibet Independence

The brightly colored entrance welcomes visitors. The gate was designedby the cultural center’s director, Arjia Rinpoche, who is also an architect.

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Movement continue to work forTibet’s independence.

Tensions between the TibetanGovernment in Exile and thePeople’s Republic of China are esca-lating with the approach of theBeijing Olympics and the aging ofthe current Dalai Lama. TheOlympic Games have heightened thepublic and media scrutiny of humanrights’ issues in the People’s Republicof China, including questions ofTibet’s independence.

“The Olympics were awarded toChina with a tacit understanding thatthe human rights situation in Chinawould improve,” says Professor ElliotSperling, an expert on Tibet atIndiana University. “As a result, therewill be attention focused on China’slevel of adherence to internationallyaccepted standards of human rights.This will entail attention to China’sattitude towards the peaceful expres-sion of Tibetan nationalist sentimentboth before and during the games.”

In light of the both the turmoil inTibet and violence around the world,the message of the TibetanMongolian Buddhist Cultural Centeris increasingly relevant. Its leaders feelpassing along this message of peace,tolerance, and compassion is one wayto change the world for the better.

“The Tibetans don’t have acountry, we have no economic

strength, we have nothing,” saysLhakaba Tshoko, the Dalai Lama’sambassador to Japan. “The onlything that gives us confidence is thatthrough Tibetan culture, there issomething we can contribute tosociety.”

If they are accomplishing nothingelse, cultural center leaders hope atthe very least they are accomplishingthis: preserving and sharing theTibetan culture. The Tibetan cultureis a compassionate culture, a peacefulculture. In short, it is a culture wecould all learn from. But it is aculture on the move.

The center’s leaders say the onlyplace the Tibetan culture truly existstoday is at places like this one, in theunlikely location of Bloomington,Indiana. Some of the original Tibetanmonasteries have been destroyed.Others have been turned into a sortof “Tibetan Disneyland,” sterilizedand cleaned up for visiting tourists.But on these wooded acres in atucked-away corner of the Midwest,the true Tibetan culture is alive andwell, bringing together communities,welcoming visitors, and in its ownsmall way, seeking peace.

Megan Tsai is an Indianapolis-basedfreelance writer whose work hasappeared in regional and nationalpublications.

FYI Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center

Contact: www.tibetancc.com,812-332-0014

How to get there: Located at3655 Snoddy Road,Bloomington, Indiana, theTibetan Mongolian BuddhistCultural Center grounds areopen to the public duringdaylight hours year round. Forspecific driving directions, visitwww.tibetancc.com and clickon “Contact Us.”