Tashi Lhunpo Monks at New York's Natural History Museum

Twelve Tibetan monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in India are leading meditation sessions at New York's Museum of Natural History this week under the Hall of Ocean life’s giant blue whale and under the stars in the planetarium.

You may recall that monks from Tashi Lhunpo visited the island back in July of 2008 to present their "Power of Compassion" performance of ritual dance, music and chanting at the Quay Arts Centre in Newport.

The meditation sessions are part of "The enlightening exhibit" – part of the museum’s ongoing show “Brain: the inside story“ – is intended to teach about Tibetan culture and highlight new research which shows the mental and physiological benefits of meditation.

But as places to find the peace and quiet necessary for meditation goes, the museum – let alone the city of New York – is far from ideal, said Khen Rinpoche, the monk leading the classes.

“It is difficult to find quiet in the museum,“ Rinpoche, the abbot of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in India said. “You need deeper mindfulness to meditate here.“