Ling-Lung Chen, Lawrence resident and director of the Palpung Dharma Foundation of Lawrence, is pictured at her home with a kimono featuring a kabuki actor. It will be one of the kimonos and obis on sale during an event Friday at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H., to raise money for the foundation.

Ling-Lung Chen has been spending a lot of time on the Internet lately, looking for kimonos to purchase.

“I get a sense it’s very addictive,” she says. “These things are so beautiful, and you want to know what else is out there.”

Friday night, Chen’s purchases will go on display, and many of them on sale, at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

The fundraiser, which runs from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., will raise money for the Palpung Dharma Foundation of Lawrence. More than 50 kimonos – traditional Japanese robes – and obis – the sashes that go around the kimonos – will be exhibited.

The local organization, which has been around since 2003 and gained official nonprofit status last year, supports the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. It has played host to scholars and artists, organized weekly meditation practices and is affiliated with the Palpung Sherab Ling Monastery in Dharamsala, India. The group also is supporting two young Tibetan children.

Chen, who grew up in Taiwan, splits her time between Lawrence and the monastery in India, where she does translation work for the monks, including the writing of their daily report that is sent to supporters.

She admits using Japanese kimonos to help Tibetan monks living in India might seem like an interesting mix of cultures. But she says monasteries often are decorated using portions of kimonos hung on walls or in other areas.

“Art knows no boundary,” she says. “If it works, it works.”

The kimonos on display Friday night are from the 1970s to the current decade, and they range in price from $95 to $2,400. Many are for women, though men’s and children’s kimonos also are represented.

Chen says kimonos typically are worn only for ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, making many of those hand-produced today artwork instead of practical clothing pieces. Typical imagery includes cranes, pine trees and peonies, though the images vary widely.

She’s hoping the brightly colored kimonos will catch people’s attention, and then they’ll want to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and the work being done by the Palpung Dharma Foundation of Lawrence.

“People don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist art,” she says.