By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Stepping into the Sakya Monestary is like stepping into another world.

Even walking up to the bright yellow and red building in Greenwood, nestled in the midst of your typical-looking Seattle homes makes quite an impression.

The founders and members of the monestary along with Principal Guru Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche, no doubt intended it to be that way. They acquired the former First Presbyterian church building at 108 NW 83rd St. in 1984 and have been remodeling and redecorating it ever since.

Entering the Shrine Room, after first taking off one's shoes, is a most dramatic experience for first-time visitors. In addition to a triple life-size golden statue of a buddha flanked by four other, smaller statues at the far end of the room, the space is painted nearly from wall to wall with various images relating to Tibetan Buddhism. It should be authentic - most of the artists who worked on the paintings came from Daharamsla, India, the location of the Tibetan government in exile.

"It looks just like a regular Tibetan Buddhist monestary," said Jeffrey Schoening, director of the Sakya Monestary's educational branch.

The monestary's library is the most recently completed part of the the building. It was finished at the beginning of April, and received lots of volunteer help as well as donations including one from the Kawabe Memorial Fund. The library contains both books and traditional unbound Tibetan texts wrapped in cloth. The room is replete with the smell of a new library.

Not only does the building itself seem to magically transport visitors to another place, but speaking with those connected to the monestary makes one realize that the monestary is not just an exotic place to worship, but an institution that inspires deeply-held beliefs.

The most vivid example of this is undoubtedly Carolyn Massey. A board member of the monestary who lives in building and acts as the sanctuary director, Massey has captured the attention of the national media over the last several years because of her son, known as Tulku-la.

Tulku-la, now 9 years old, was identified by Tibetan lamas in India and Seattle as the reincarnation of Deshung Rinpoche III, a scholarly lama who helped found the Sakya Monestary in Seattle. As a consequence of Tulku-la's status as a reincarnation of the lama, he was sent to live and study at the Tharlam Monestary in Nepal when he was 4 years old.

Monks also travel to Sakya Monestary to live. Only one monk, Nyima Chodar, from Eastern Tibet, is currently living there, although the monestary would like to house as many as four on a rotating basis.

However, Executive Director Adrienne Chan acknowledged that it's hard to remain a monk in the United States with so much freedom and few other monks around to lend support. One of the monks who lived at the monestary has changed his vocation and entered into a secular life. He works in the food service industry and continues to participate in the monestary as a lay practitioner.

The Sakya Monestary seems to be thriving these days. In addition to their facility in Greenwood , they have recently received a donation of a house on 72 acres of land in Freeland, Wash., on Whidbey Island to be used as a retreat. Yet another way to be transported to a new place.

The Sakya Monestary holds viewings, which are open to the public, on the third Sunday of every month at noon. For more information, call 789-2573.