Six years after an arson fire destroyed the Columbus KTC’s spiritual home in the East Franklinton Neighborhood, we are ready to reopen for meditation and programs.
As a special celebration, we are inviting all of our friends to a Prayer Event and Flag-Raising at our new building, 645 W. Rich St. in Columbus.
We will welcome our friends from the Interfaith community to celebrate with us, six years and one month after a Peace Circle was convened in our parking lot to offer comfort to our community following the fire.
After opening remarks and a short prayer service, we will look on as a member of the Columbus Division of Fire raises the replacement for the Karmapa Namchen Banner that he rescued from the top of our burning building in January 2016.
This is a wonderful moment of blessing for the center, as we once again raise the Namchen Banner prayer flag above our new building.
The story behind the event is this: on the morning of Jan. 31, 2016, as the arson fire at Columbus KTC was burning, the flag on top of the building, whipped by winds from the fire, wrapped itself around its flag pole.
When the fire was extinguished, the flag gently unfurled itself to play in the breeze. It was taken to be a sign of recovery and renewal for the congregation, in the midst of its misfortune.
A fire official requested a volunteer to retrieve our prayer flag, saying that flags have great symbolic meaning. A ladder truck ladder was extended to the top of the building and a firefighter retrieved the flag, to the cheers of onlookers below.
The flag, although worn and wind-damaged, was untouched by the fire. It has become a symbol for KTC’s efforts to rebuild its center – efforts that have led to the raising of $3 million to fund a new center on the same property as the old building.
The Namchen (“all-great” in Tibetan) Banner is sometimes called the “Dream Flag,” because it appeared in a vision of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, who oversaw the founding of the Columbus KTC in 1977. The banner is a blue field over a yellow field with a swirling design in between – the yellow symbolizing the earth, and the blue symbolizing the sky, with the swirled line between them symbolizing the truth of spiritual life, or dharma, which “joins” heaven and earth. It is thought that wherever this flag flies there will be goodness.
We feel fortunate and blessed that the firefighter who rescued our prayer flag is available to raise its replacement. We hope that raising this prayer flag will be a blessing for the new center, the Franklinton neighborhood, and everyone who sees it.
Rain Date: Tuesday, March 8th
