Happy Losar from Columbus KTC!

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Tibetan Lunar New Year (Losar) dawned today, Friday Feb. 12. We wish you Tashi Delek (all auspciousness) in the New Year!

The arrival of New Year’s Day means there are just a few days left in our effort to raise $25,000 to meet a challenge from donors who say they will match all donations dollar for dollar up to $25,000 to help us rebuild Columbus KTC. 

You can double the impact of your giving in TWO ways – by buying tickets in our “Win/Win” Raffle (prizes include an 8” Shakyamuni Buddha Statue, 6” gold-color treasure vase and gilded standing Guru Rinpoche statues) before 12 Midnight Saturday Feb. 13, and by donating to KTC online or through GoFundMe before Midnight Sunday Feb. 14.

Raffle ticket buyers can click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrqmauIwKKbDlFhSHD1nUUU7CZmMH42JE2avY7lXjr5ckCpg/viewform

Those who simply wish to donate can click here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YMTXX46F2X7AG&source=url

Either way, all gifts will accumulate more than doubled donations – they will accumulate great virtue, as the impact all virtuous actions (including providing a place for meditation and the veneration of sacred objects) are multiplied many, many times during the first 15 days of the Lunar New Year.

Meanwhile, please enjoy the below photos taken by Lama Adam Berner of our rebuilding site on Losar Day. 

May all beings benefit!

Losar Celebration 2021

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After celebrating the Gregorian calendar New Year on Jan. 1, Columbus KTC is preparing to welcome the Tibetan New Year (known as “Losar”) on Friday, Feb. 12.

As the “old year” comes to a close, it is a Tibetan cultural tradition to clean one’s shrine and home in preparation for the “new year.” 

In that same way, it is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition to purify one’s thoughts and mindstream in the days before Losar (New Year) to bless and release the old year and prepare for the new year ahead.

At Columbus KTC, we will gather as a community for three nights before Losar to bless and purify the old year and make offerings toward goodness and auspiciousness in the new year.

Then, on Losar morning, we will offer lamps and recite prayers to bless ourselves and the community and start the new year with auspicious energy and blessings.

And, as Losar occurs on a Friday this year, we will be able to host a 2-hour Saturday morning Shamatha Meditation Retreat on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 13. 

The first two weeks of Losar coincide each year with the Great Occasion of the Buddha’s Performance of Miracles (Chötrul Duchen, in Tibetan), one of four Sacred Days on the Karma Kagyu tradition’s yearly calendar. This means that the benefit and blessing of any practice we do during this “Waxing Moon of Miracles” (sometimes called “The Month of Miracles”) is multiplied millions of times. 

We hope you can join us for these programs, all of which will be webcast on Zoom.


Registration is not needed for the pre-Losar and Losar Day events, but registration will be required for the Saturday Shamatha Retreat.

Celebration Schedule:

  • Pre-Losar Chenrezig chant – Tuesday, February 9, 2021 – Time: 7 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern Time
  • Pre-Losar Green Tara chant – Wednesday, February 10, 2021 – Time: 7 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern Time 
  • Pre-Losar Smoke/Incense Offering – Thursday, February 11, 2021 – Time: 7 pm to 8:00 pm 
  • Losar Morning Chants – Friday, February 12, 2021  Time: 8:00 am to 9:00 am Eastern Time
  • Losar Shamatha Retreat – Saturday February 13, 2021 Time: 10 am to 12:00 pm Eastern Time

Please visit our Virtual Shrine Room for details on accessing the Zoom meetings.

Registration is not needed for the pre-Losar and Losar Day events, but registration will be required for the Saturday Shamatha Retreat.

[wpi_designer_button text=’Register Online’ link=’https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-years-saturday-morning-meditation-retreat-tickets-137096309753‘ target=’self’]

Registration Fees (cost per session, empowerments, materials, meal, etc): All evening prayer sessions free of charge; Saturday Shamatha Retreat by donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; contact lamakathy@columbusktc.org to request fee-free registration.

KTC Sunday Dharma Talks on the Move – to YouTube and Facebook Live!

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Since moving our dharma programs to internet platforms last year, we have heard from many of our friends that our programs have helped them feel connected during a very difficult times.


Our Sunday programs have been a haven for many during busy and isolating weeks, and after a few months we realized that through the magic of the internet we were able to reach people with our Introduction to Buddhism classes we had center reached before.


Now, after hearing from our friends that they would like to see our Sunday 11:30 AM Dharma talks reach a wider audience, we’re going to make them available on two livestream platforms – YouTube Live and Facebook Live – starting at 11:30 AM THIS Sunday, Feb. 14, when Lama Kathy will speak on “True Love.”


While our regular “Introduction to Buddhism”  and “Introduction to Meditation” classes and weekend workshops will remain on the Zoom platform, our 11:30 AM Sunday talks will be here:

https://youtube.com/user/KTCColumbus

https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusKTC/live

Please “like” our Facebook page and and “Subscribe” to our YouTube page to receive notices of our live webcasts.

And thanks fo our many volunteers who make our programs possible. We appreciate you, and dedicate your merit.

May all beings benefit!