Archive for category: News

Dear Dharma Friends:

While busily pouring over diagrams and floorplans and samples of tile and brick the other day, someone sent me a message online and reminded me – that day, Jan. 31, was the 2nd anniversary of the fire that destroyed Columbus KTC.

There was a moment, a catch in the throat, an instant of sadness, as the past became the present in a sudden shattering of the linear timeline that we sometimes use to circumscribe our lives. For a moment, there was a pang of sadness. And then the image of the warm red bricks, the soft golden stone, and an inexpressible feeling of the future being at hand.

That’s how it’s been these last few months, as folks send me photos of our happy lives in the “old” KTC and architects and builders show us the future “new life” of the KTC in drawings and photographs. After two years, we are still processing the grief of losing our home so suddenly, but at the same time, there is the tug of the future, a time and place where we will be comfortably “home again.”

Buddhism encourages us to not live in the future or the past, but to always live in the “now” of freshness, where the nature of our mind – free from being a material thing, free from habitual tendencies and clinging – is glowing and empty and present. It’s a reminder that clinging to feelings and emotions needs to give way to a comfortable rest in mind as it is, in the beauty of our unestablished nature – the nature that we all share and that makes us all “children of the Buddha” under the skin.

Accompanying this understanding is love and compassion – for ourselves, still stuck in the grinding mill of our habits, and for others, wincing in samsaric bondage beside us. Remembering to generate love and compassion for ourselves and others helps us to realize the appearance of awakening, even if we haven’t yet manifested that awakening in our minds.

So we work to build a container for our practice, for our human failings and yet also for our human aspirations to be more than we are, to be better, to be uplifted and to see ourselves as children of the Buddha, no matter how things might look to the outside world.

And building a new KTC is creating that container, and brings that blessing into every moment – including moments of indecision about tile and wood and stone.

The KTC Board has worked tirelessly and continuously for two straight years to bring this new building to fruition – the vision that Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche said when he asked us to “not be sad … (but to) rebuild,” and to “make it bigger” and better than before.

So if you see a Board member – Director Kim, or Assistant Directors Tanya and Michelle and Stacey (our glorious tag-team of dharma), or Treasurer Steve and Secretary Justin and Member-at-Large Eric – please give them a hug and a bit of thanks for all they are doing to bring us home again.

Two years is a long time to be without a home, but we have grown so much in those two years – learned about ourselves and each other, about what’s important in community (hint: it’s love, compassion, patience, cooperation, assistance, coffee and donuts, among other things), and about how always looking forward with a core of solid Bodhicitta (the mind of awakening that has compassion at its center) can make miraculous things happen.

Thanks to all of you, dharma friends, for carrying us and seeing us through. We have a little ways to go yet, and not everyone will like the choices of colors and tiles, but we’re working to create a space for practice that will shelter us as we seek our future in this amazing city of Columbus.

May the blessings of your intentions spread throughout the universe!

The Journey Home: Short Notes

• KTC in Tricycle Magazine: You might have seen that Columbus KTC was featured in the “Meet a Sangha” feature of the online edition of Tricycle Buddhist Magazine. Well, another article is in the works, and if you’re at the KTC this coming weekend for our annual Tibetan New Year (Losar) events, you may meet writer Mary Talbot, who is coming to Columbus KTC from New York to profile us for an upcoming issue of the print edition. She will be attending our Friday Feb. 16 morning events and the Shabbat dinner in the evening, as well as our “Losar Sunday” events and sangha luncheon on Feb. 18. If you see her (or the photographer who will accompany her) please say “hello” and “Happy Losar!”
• Lama Kathy Birthday Fundraiser – for fun this past week, I signed up for a Facebook fundraiser to raise some of the $7,000 needed for a KTC audio/video/internet system. We raised $2,600! Thanks for all who participated.
• Also, don’t forget that even if you are short on cash, you can join the “Prayer Team” that is praying for the KTC Rebuilding Project to be a success. Decide on a prayer or mantra you will say for us, and write to me at kmwesley@me.com to let me know what you’re doing for us. Thanks in advance for your help!
• KTC plans – the latest version of our rebuilding plans are being reviewed now by the Board, and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche already is picking out decorations for the shrine room. We will share more pictures when they are available.
• East Franklinton Review Board: The architects and builders working for KTC are almost ready to present the next-generation design for the building to the East Franklinton Review Board for approval. This zoning commission’s approval is the next critical step in the rebuilding process. The group meets March 22; please mark your calendars and keep us in prayers on that day.
• LOSAR – thanks to all who attended the “three-lama” Mahakala protector puja on Sunday Feb. 11. Lama Wangdu, Lama Tom and myself gathered with our stalwart crew of Mahakala practitioners to thank the awkened protectors for their help in the “old year” and their assistance in the New Year.

Also, please try to remember the old adage that “what you do on Losar is what you will do all year,” and try to do some practice on the Sacred Day of Losar – this Friday Feb. 16. We will be at the KTC from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. that day, chanting the Green Tara sadhana (for the first hour) to clear obstacles for the new year, and will have open practice from 9 to 10 to start the new year off right. If you can join us, that would be wonderful, but even if you can’t join us in person, you can join us in spirit by doing some dharma practice or prayers right where you are. You are always our “Dharma Family” in spirit!

We are sending our beautiful golden “prayer flag” T-shirts to our teacher Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and all the lamas at KTD Monastery; we’re also sending a card and gift to Khenpo Rinpoche (our founder) to thank him for all he’s given to us ever since founding our center in September 1977. May he have a long life, good health, and ever-expanding dharma activity!

From left, Director Kim and Lama Kathy introduce the KTC to Franklinton Community leaders on Oct. 24 at The Idea Foundry

I. Building Community Interest in A Little Meditation Center

As autumn leaves fall, we approach the two-year anniversary of the fire that changed our lives at Columbus KTC.

January 31, 2016 will live in memory – first, as the date when our beloved shrine building was lost; but second, as the date Columbus KTC spilled out of its four walls and flooded Central Ohio with meditation and everyday blessings.

Before the fire, we were a bit shy but working our way out of our shell – our 10 a.m. Sunday meditation drew 5-30 visitors a week, and our Y Family Center dinners for the homeless, our prison project and our booth at the Community Festival let folks know we existed and were open to serve the public with meditation and Buddhist-style love and compassion.

After the fire, we were moved to make new friends outside our usual sphere.

The Sunday of the fire, a local church reached out and offered us a place to conduct our usual Tuesday night Chenrezig sadhana practice. Four days after the fire, we started making friends with local churches and religious groups at a prayer gathering given in our honor by the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, and within a few weeks we were welcomed by Congregation Tifereth Israel, where we remain today.

Five months later, we expanded our offerings and partnered with Trinity Episcopal Church downtown to offer meditation instruction and practice every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.; Midday Meditation Wednesdays is still on our calendar – stop by an see us sometime!

We also started reaching out to the local business community, meeting business people in Franklinton and Downtown Columbus to let them know our little meditation center could use their investment and support.

Our Franklinton neighborhood is changing, and it’s exciting for our center to be a part of this revitalization. It’s also great that more and more business people and young professionals are embracing meditation and mindfulness as part of their wellness discipline. So, reaching out to our friends in business seemed like a pretty good idea.

Our founder Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche actually gave us this advice early on: “find and meet friends who own businesses, and ask them to help you,” he said.

Those early contacts gave rise to more contacts, and the effort blossomed last month, when we sponsored a “meet and greet” for two dozen business friends at The Idea Foundry, a maker’s space and business incubator on West State Street in Franklinton.

We showed our new friends the plans for our new building, spoke about our service to the community, and encouraged them to invest in us. Over the next few weeks, we will be following up with them to see if they can donate to our vision of a new meditation center in Franklinton.

With the blessing of His Holiness Karmapa and with the blessing and prayers of Khenpo Rinpoche and the generosity of our own KTC members, we are getting closer to making our center a reality.

What’s next???

From Left: Bill Jones of Centerpoint; Lama Kathy; Director Kim; Treasurer Steve; and Architect Pete Macrae.

II. Our Building Plans: Updates, Upgrades and a Return to City for Review

This summer, our rebuilding project moved closer to reality when Centerpoint Construction of Columbus, led by principal engineer Bill Jones, came on board to help us.

Our beautiful initial plans (created by Wisconsin architect Keith Spruce with input and encouragement from the entire sangha) were then handed to a new team of architects, Pete Macrae and Peter Lenz.

“Peter and Pete” then began studying our vacant land at the corner of Rich and Grubb streets and made an in-depth analysis of City of Columbus Zoning and Building Codes to refine our plans and meet all local code requirements.

You’ll see the results of their work very soon, as we’re inviting the entire sangha to “Meet the Team” at a Sangha Meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 12 at the KTC meditation space at Tifereth Israel.

Some highlights of their report include plans to provide more storage space and light in the main shrine room, an elevator and ramp to help make the center more accessible, a larger kitchen, and more downstairs storage space.

Once the designs are finished, we need to re-submit them to the East Franklinton Review Board for final approval. The EFRB already approved our initial plans, so we have a bit of a head start on the approval process.

Then, it’s on to the final planning phase – creation of construction documents. If all goes well, we will have a formal land blessing and consecration in the spring, and shovels will go into the ground soon after that. If all goes well, we could be in our new home at this time next year!

And should you ask, “how can we help?” Well…

III. A Sprint toward the Finish Line: KTC Fundraising Enters a New Phase!

The KTC Rebuilding project continues to excite and inspire people, both in our local sangha and in dharma centers around the world.

Ever since His Holiness the 17 th Gyalwang Karmapa personally gave our project his prayers and blessings when we met him in June and July, we’ve made good progress on our $1.4 million initial construction goal.

By the time we opened our Sangha Pledge Drive on July 31, we’d received almost $900,000 in insurance and fundraising proceeds, leaving about $513,000 to raise.

Then, the Hummingbird Fund of Christina and Jim Grote blessed us with a $100,000 challenge grant. If we could raise $100,000 they would match the cash and pledges dollar for dollar up to a total of $100,000!

Filled with the wish to benefit beings, and inspired by the Hummingbird Fund challenge grant, our KTC sangha members answered the call and generously pledged more than $20,000 in just a few weeks!

Since then, more than half of our community has pledged, and many will be receiving Donor Gifts (see below!) for pledging $700 or more. The generosity of our little group has warmed our hearts!

We’ve also been amazed by the folks who have pitched in to help our little sangha reach its goal: our founder Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche; his many Asian students, the Ocean of Merit donor group; KTC centers; grant writers; and now local business people and community leaders.

We’re building quite a team, and that team is going to help us meet our goal.

Now that we have a team, we’re going to encourage all of them to help us make A Sprint Toward the Finish Line between now and Dec. 31, 2017.

As our teachers have told us, helping build a dharma center provides immense merit, as thousands of people see, interact and are inspired by the dharma represented by our new center. The benefit of this virtue accrues both to those who give as well as those who rejoice in the giving. So, no matter how you participate, you have a chance to benefit all sentient beings.

But if you’d like to help out with our “Sprint Toward the Finish Line,” here are some great reasons for you (and perhaps your family, or your friends) to give between now and Dec. 31.

This Is a Great Time to Give, Part 1: Matching Grant Doubles Your Gift!
As mentioned above, Christina and Jim Grote have confidence in Khenpo Rinpoche’s vision and KTC’s plans, and have offered to match any pledge or gift made up to $100,000. Giving between now and Dec. 31 helps us meet the match, and can give some folks an end-of-the-year tax advantage, too.

This Is a Great Time to Give, Part 2: Donor Gifts ONLY from Now to Dec. 31!
Our friends at the Ocean of Merit donor group in Asia and the United States have been incredibly generous during our initial construction fundraiser, giving us more than $170,000 in donations.

But they also are offering DONOR GIFTS to anyone who donates (or pledges and makes their first pledge payment) by Dec. 31, 2017.

• $700 donation receives a 108-bead green sandalwood mala blessed by His Holiness Karmapa
• $1,000 donation receives a 4-inch Guru Rinpoche statue
• $1,500 donation receives a 4-inch statue of Guru Rinpoche AND a pendant prayer wheel
• $2,000 donation receives a fine wood hand-held prayer wheel
• $2,500 donation receives a 12-inch Guru Rinpoche statue

Donations and pledges (along with first pledge payment) MUST be received by 12 midnight on Dec. 31, 2017 to qualify for Donor Gifts. As gifts are being shipped from Asia, allow up to three months for delivery.

This Is a Great Time to Give, Part 3: Three-Year Payment Plan Makes It Easy!
If you pledge by Dec. 31, you will have three years (until Dec. 31, 2020) to make your payments. Giving becomes easy when your gift-giving comes in small monthly payments.

All gifts are tax-deductible, and will be acknowledged with a thank-you card and/or receipt.

To donate, please click here, and/or contact treasurer Steve Phallen at treasurer@columbusktc.org.

Short on Funds, but Want to Participate? Join the Prayer Team!

We’re also looking for people to join our Prayer Team. If you would like to join, write to me at kmwesley@me.com and I’ll send you a lovely 8 ½ by 11 copy of the Tashi Prayer.

Also known as the Prayer of the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones, the Tashi Prayer – in which the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are chanted as a means of invoking their presence, inspiration and support – helps bring auspiciousness to any endeavor.

If you can chant the Tashi Prayer for us daily, you can help clear away obstacles to the rebuilding and help our transition to our new home becomes smoother and more full of blessing. It takes about 3 minutes to recite (either in Tibetan or English) and will be

However you choose to help, know that we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers and are holding you with gratitude!!! May this project bring long lives to our spiritual teachers and benefit to all the sangha and sentient beings, far and wide!

Donor Gifts: