The exhibit, which opened in November and drew criticism from some groups because of the Chinese government's record on human rights -- all the bodies were imported from China -- includes more than 20 preserved cadavers. They were dissected and arranged in varying poses, including one with a football tucked under his arm and a pair of bodies doing a high-five to illustrate human symmetry.

"You should see the next room," said one monk, urging his brethren ahead to the circulatory system gallery. "It really is extraordinary."

A volunteer nearby assured a different group of visitors about the origins of the bodies. "In most cases, it's an unclaimed body," she said.

A short while later, a disembodied voice intoned over the intercom: "Please make your way to the nervous and muscular galleries for meditation. Meditation will begin in 10 minutes."

Over the last decade, Buddhism has experienced something of a boom in the West among mostly white, middle-class converts who have flocked to meditation classes and spiritual retreat centers. Their version of the religion, however, has in many cases taken on a different look from that practiced in Asia.

Tuesday evening's event was decidedly Western. Other than the Sri Lankan monks and the Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, the spiritual leader of the New York Buddhist Church, the others in attendance were almost all white spiritual seekers. Many said beforehand that they had come having no idea what to expect but with a vague sense they were getting a rare and important opportunity.

Many managed to remain motionless throughout; some struggled mightily. A woman leaning against a wall, shifted restlessly. Another man got up halfway through to lie flat on his back.