A Little Help from Our Friends

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When you’re trying to raise $2.9 million to rebuild a dharma center destroyed by fire, you need all the help you can get.  One of the Most Valuable Players in Columbus KTC’s fundraising efforts is none other than Dzambhala, the bodhisattva of wealth.


Folks who visited our KTC Center noticed a little more than a year ago that a gold-plated statue of Dzambhala (also known as Namse in Tibetan) had been placed on the second highest shelf on our shrine, among the statues of other gurus and bodhisattvas. The statue has an interesting history.

When His Holiness Karmapa visited our “home” monastery of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in 2015, he blessed dozens of gold-plated statues for sponsorship by individual dharma students. At that time, Columbus KTC member Marcus Casey sponsored a Dzambhala statue and brought it back to his home and displayed it on his shrine.

A few years later, after Columbus KTC was destroyed in an arson fire, Marcus and his family heard about His Holiness Karmapa’s gift of a small new Buddha statue to the KTC as a “seed” for a new KTC shrine and building in the future. Right then, the family decided that Columbus KTC needed their Dzambhala statue more than they did. So they brought the golden statue – along with its golden carrying box – to the KTC’s temporary quarters at Congregation Tifereth Israel and presented it to shrine keeper Julane Goodrich, who installed it on the KTC shrine in the Lower Social Hall of TI. 

Within a few weeks, the Dzambhala was already at work; piles of $1 coins began to pile up around the golden carrying case upon which the statue sat. No one saw where the coins came from; they just appeared around the statue every few weeks. 

Where were they coming from? Who was Dzambhala’s secret helper?

Turns out our helpers were none other than Robin and Sharon, two longtime KTC friends who took to the road a couple of years ago to become long-distance truck drivers. They went to school and learned how to pilot the Big Rigs – 18-wheel tractor trailers – and have been touring the entire United States since then, hauling freight and taking in America’s scenic beauty.  The coins come as change from toll booths – and fit nicely around Dzambhala’s seat.

With the KTC shut down during the COVID-19 emergency, Dzambhala might not be “collecting” dollar coins at the moment, but we know he is working behind the scenes to help us raise the funds we need to rebuild.  We’ll make it yet – with a little help from ALL our friends!

A Message from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche

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A year after Columbus KTC was destroyed in an arson fire, KTC founder Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche talks about his personal support for Columbus KTC.  Khenpo Rinpoche shares his innermost thoughts about KTC and gives us encouragement to fundraise and rebuild.

Even though the video was created a few years ago, its message is still relevant and more important than ever.

Please consider supporting the Columbus KTC rebuilding effort with a donation. To donate, visit us at: https://columbusktc.org/product/rebuilding-fund/

Columbus KTC Rebuilding Drive

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It’s been an eventful few weeks for the Columbus KTC Rebuilding Project. Our contractor, Hanlin-Rainaldi, has made good progress in getting our building permits; we should have all the permits in hand by the end of June. We are so excited to be so close to fulfilling Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s wish for us to rebuild the KTC.

But we have hit a snag in our quest to start rebuilding this summer – and wanted to let you know right away so you can help us, through prayer and brainstorming possible solutions.

First things first: The Budget is set.
We feel confident in the budget outlined last month by our construction management team of Gavin Jones and Alan McLaughlin. As our “owner representatives,” Gavin and Alan have given us a solid idea of our costs.

Total cost to build: $2,933,000
Current building fund + additional funds expected: -$2,308,000
Building expenses paid to date: $100,000
Gap (subtotal): $525,000
Commercial Loan: -200,000
FUNDING GAP: $325,000

This past week we met with officers of three banks – Heartland Bank, KEMBA Credit Union, and State Bank to see if one of the banks would give us a commercial loan.

All the banks agreed that $200,000 would be the most KTC could comfortably borrow so we don’t burden our sangha in the future.

However …
None of the banks want to loan us the $200,000 unless we *first* raise the final $325,000 we need to fill our funding gap. And the banks say we cannot start construction until the bank loan is closed.

This is a serious setback for us. 

We had hoped we would have a comfortable eight-month period to raise money while construction proceeded. 

But now the banks are telling us we must raise $325,000 if we want to start our rebuilding project this year.

That is not an acceptable option. We are concerned that if we don’t raise the money within six weeks, the cost of the building will go up. And then, of course, we will need to do more fundraising, which in turn will postpone the start date for construction.

We cannot afford to put this project off another year.

We must take action now.

We’ve reviewed the design drawings to find places to save money while making our building beautiful and cost-effective.

We know that rebuilding the Columbus KTC was a heart-wish of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, and the only one of his wishes that remained unfulfilled when he passed away last year.

We chose to seek a commercial loan because we knew it would be a big challenge to raise $525,000 in eight months – but now that loan cannot materialize until we raise $325,000. 

So – we need to dig in and start raising money NOW.

We are writing to you first because you were part of the team that helped us raise $2.3 million in four years to make the project happen

What we have done together is quite amazing. The banks are very impressed with our “fundraising muscles,” and that we have raised so much money thus far. And we are so close to raising the last bit of money needed to begin construction. We need your help! 

Our home monastery at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is continuing to help in any way they can. But as the six-week clock is ticking, we must have “all hands on deck.” It’s urgent for everyone to pitch in!

We realize that at this time, many people have been affected physically, emotionally and economically by the COVID-19 epidemic. We pray that all our sangha members stay well and encourage you to help your local communities and frontline workers. But we also feel the completion of a home for the dharma in Central Ohio can be a force for good in our community, so we hope you will consider giving to our rebuilding project. Every dollar moves us closer to our goal!

Here’s what can help us right now. Would you:

  • Renew (and possibly increase?) your Rebuilding Fund Pledge. We need funds as quickly as we can get them. 
  • Ask your friends and family to contribute. Believe it or not, modest donations ($1,000 and under) from our “extended dharma family” have been a big chunk of our fundraising up to now.
  • Loan us your signatures as a co-signer. If a few members are willing to co-sign for us, we can get a larger bank loan and perhaps still begin this summer. If interested in helping this way, please contact Kim Miracle at director@columbusktc.org.

We know that we are living in difficult times, But we also know that if we are to accomplish Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s last wish – the rebuilding of the Columbus KTC – we will need everyone’s help to complete the basic construction of the building.

It may take years to fully furnish and decorate our new temple, but if we could complete basic construction this year we would save money in the long run. Waiting until next year will put us at risk of costs going up again. We owe it to everyone to avoid that possibility.

Please pray the Tashi Prayer for us, or recite and dedicate your favorite mantras for us. We are convinced that prayer does work – it has helped us at other critical junctures – so please remember us in your prayers.

Ready to donate now? 

You can give directly by credit card at our website: https://columbusktc.org/product/rebuilding-fund/

Ready to renew your pledge, or have questions or wish to contribute by bank transfer? Contact our treasurer Lance Moyer at treasurer@columbusktc.org

Interested in being a co-signer on a loan? Please contact Kim Miracle at director@columbusktc.org.

Please share our GoFundMe page with friends and family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/yx5a5j-a-new-home-for-columbus-ktc

We look forward to hearing from you. May all beings benefit from your generosity!

With prayers and warm wishes,
Best Wishes in the Dharma,

Kim Miracle, Director 
Chuck Drake, Assistant Director 
Marjorie Hill Langston, Secretary
Lance Moyer, Treasurer
Lama Kathy Wesley, Resident Advisor

Opening a Conversation on Compassion and Justice: A Letter to the Columbus KTC Community

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Dear Dharma Friends: 
It has been a difficult week for many in our dharma family.  Recovering from the difficulties and fears of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now are confronted with the terrible reminders of how deeply the poisons of attachment, ignorance and aversion run through our human family and human society.  

The killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis this past week was a senseless act that brutalized and destroyed many lives. The protests and civil unrest that followed was an outpouring of passion and anger that after 400 years, the scourge of racism is still part of hearts and minds on the American continent.

Our dharma community was founded on principles of inner and outer peace and non-violence, and like all people of goodwill we reject the philosophy of superiority and hatred that makes these senseless acts all too common in our world. But we also recognize that racism is not just an action or feeling of hatred aimed toward individuals, but that it also can arise as a passive complicity within a system that perpetuates oppression for some while preserving power for others. 

It is this systemic racism we must now address, if we are to make any meaningful progress on the path to peace and justice for all. 

In Buddhism we are asked to look within ourselves and call our our faults and failings – and our prejudices – as they arise and, owning up to them, vow to reject them utterly and replace them with actions of love.

This demands that we as individuals and as a community be willing to see our own reactivity – our own willing choice to feel superior to others and place our needs above theirs – and to pledge to team up with the downtrodden and the oppressed against our *real* enemy – selfish grasping and egotism. 

Other people are not our enemies; it is our own egoistic grasping that’s to blame. 

The word for arrogance in Tibetan is “Nga Gyal” – literally “I, Victorious!” In a world of such duality, when one person wins, another person must lose. This zero-sum game keeps both oppressor and oppressed in bondage to anger and egotism that has no end. 

The Buddha’s Way is a way of abandoning hatred for love. We must look within ourselves and continuously challenge ourselves and our prejudices if we are ever to know peace. 


“Hate never once dispelled hate.
“Only love dispels hate.
“This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible.
“You too shall pass away.
“Knowing this, how can you quarrel?”

By remembering hatred and our tendency to negatively judge others as a common enemy, may we defeat hatred wherever we see it in ourselves, and enter into genuine conversation so we can truly know the needs of others.

May we find the ways to have the painful conversations we need to have to bring our broken and hurting society into the light. May we shine in any and every way we can.

With prayers and wishes for healing,

Lama Kathy

Donate to Columbus KTC’s Rebuilding Fund through “The Big Give”

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A 25-Hour Community Rally

Columbus KTC has qualified for The Columbus Foundation’s The Big Give donation rally.  We are listed in The Giving Store, The Columbus Foundation’s philanthropy portal. Click here to visit the Giving Store.

Funds given to Columbus KTC’s rebuilding fund THROUGH The Columbus Foundation’s The Giving Store link from 10 a.m. WEDNESDAY June 10and 11 a.m. THURSDAY June 11 will have a chance to be amplified by The Columbus Foundation’s Bonus Pool.


Below is some information from The Columbus Foundation’s “The Big Give” page to help explain the event.  

Please give to Columbus KTC’s rebuilding fund at The Columbus Foundation – and May all beings benefit!

The Big Give is the Central Ohio community’s signature giving event to help nonprofits. Through The Big Give, we rally to support our local nonprofits and equip them with the resources they need to deal with challenging community issues.The needs of nonprofit organizations have never been greater as they work to serve and strengthen our community. During this 25-hour online giving event, your donation to one or more of the eligible nonprofits in The Giving Store will be boosted, thanks to a $1.5 million+ Bonus Pool provided by The Columbus Foundation and corporate and community partners, the largest in Big Give history! Further, all credit card fees will be covered by the Foundation, so 100 percent of your donations go to the nonprofit(s) of your choice.Join us for this extraordinary opportunity to unite and empower our community, because we are truly better, together.