The Grand Traverse region is home to hundreds of churches and a diverse community of faith, but an outpost of a Buddhist monastery in Omena comes as a surprise to most. That was certainly true for Maria Elena Gaspari when she moved to Northport from California.

A practicing Buddhist since 1995, Gaspari has taken several pilgrimages to India. Upon moving to the region, she was planning to seek out a place she could continue her spiritual practices. “I lived in California, the Berkley/Bay area for 25 years,” she says. “I hoped for something in Traverse City. I never expected it would be Tibetan Buddhism.”

Nor did she expect to find it where she did, just down the road from her new home in Leelanau County. The Omena Karma Kagyu Study Group is a small group led by His Holiness, the Gyalwang Karmapa. He heads the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Vajrayanhe, dating back to the 11th century.

“There are several different lineages in Buddhism,” explains Gaspari, noting that most people are familiar with the lineage of the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The lamas can trace their lineages back at least hundreds of years as traditions are passed on. “The Kagyu tradition has been passed from teacher to pupil in an unbroken line,” she says.

The Omena group was founded in September 2010 by Lama Karma Drodhul (pictured above) of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery, located in the Catskill Mountains above Woodstock, New York.

Gaspari admits that the concepts– and especially the names – of his faith can be difficult to grasp at first. Like other religious traditions, she says it involves a commitment to something bigger than the individual. “It’s all about developing compassion in everyday life,” she adds.

Gaspari hopes the recent appearance of the Tibetan Monks at Dennos Museum Center will spur more locals to explore the religion and perhaps even the group in Omena. “We need to let people know we are here,” she notes, though she “didn’t expect to find so many like-minded people. It’s been a real joy.”

Though the group is small, it does have some public gatherings, including a workshop with a lama from Woodstock this [Memorial] weekend. Lama Karma Drodül will host a presentation on techniques for developing a compassionate heart while dealing with the vagaries of daily life. For more information on “The Great Path of Awakening,” click here.