First Refuge Ceremony of the New Year: 12:45 PM Sunday Jan. 8!

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As we welcome the Western New Year, KTC has set its first Refuge Ceremony of the New Year for 12:45 PM Sunday Jan. 8.

The Refuge Vow Ceremony is the initial entry to the Buddhist path for new practitioners. In this short ceremony, the Dharma student takes the Buddha as their teacher, the Dharma as their path, and the Sangha (congregation) as their community. They receive a Dharma name and instructions on how to practice the Refuge Vow in everyday life.

If you’ve been thinking about taking the Refuge Vow, you can read more about it here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o81bo5n40zuou3u97vlfo/Information-sheet-about-KTC-Refuge-Ceremony.docx?dl=0&rlkey=cs0am9m8f8t8275optrxw21x5

To sign up for the Jan. 8 ceremony, contact Lama Kathy here: lamakathy@columbusktc.org

The next Refuge Ceremony will be offered at Losar (Tibetan New Year) in late February.

KTC Goes Virtual for Christmas Day Programs:
In-Person Programs Canceled for Dec. 25

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Thanks to all who have inquired about our plans for Christmas Day. 

With the ongoing winter weather emergency, and the Level 2 Snow Emergency called by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department still in effect, KTC will cancel in-person programs for Sunday Dec. 25, moving them to online programs instead.

You can find Zoom links to our 9 AM Chenrezig chant and 10 AM Sitting Meditation session here: 
https://columbusktc.org/online-programs/

And find the 11 AM Dharma Talk on KTC YouTube and Facebook Live channels here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KTCColumbus
https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusKTC/live

Please stay safe and warm, and feel welcome to join us with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa in hand.

New Year’s Day Programs for Jan. 1, 2023 are expected to proceed as scheduled.

Blessings to you and all during this holiday season!


Christmas Day Schedule 2022
9 AM Chenrezig puja (on Zoom)
10 AM Quiet Sitting Meditation Practice (on Zoom)
11 AM Dharma Talk with Lama Kathy

Snow Emergency Policy

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Dear all:

Greetings! Hope everyone is staying safe and warm today.

I’m writing to let you know that KTC’s Board is carefully watching the Central Ohio weather situation to make sure that all KTC volunteers and attendees stay safe during the severe winter weather that came with Winter Storm Elliot last night.

You may or may not be aware that KTC has a “Snow Emergency Policy” to help us decide if and when to cancel KTC programs and services.

The policy states that if the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office declares a Level 2 Snow Emergency, KTC will CANCEL its programming to protect everyone’s safety.

Today (Friday Dec. 23) the FCSO declared a Level 2 Snow Emergency for Franklin County.

We will be watching local weather developments, and will make a determination at 5 PM Saturday about whether KTC will be open for its special Christmas Day program on Sunday.

Please watch your email for an update tomorrow after 5 PM.

Meanwhile, if anyone has questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding, and for your service to KTC!

With prayers and good wishes,

Kathy Wesley for KTC

Snow Emergency Policy

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Dear all:

Greetings! Hope everyone is staying safe and warm today.

I’m writing to let you know that KTC’s Board is carefully watching the Central Ohio weather situation to make sure that all KTC volunteers and attendees stay safe during the severe winter weather that came with Winter Storm Elliot last night.

You may or may not be aware that KTC has a “Snow Emergency Policy” to help us decide if and when to cancel KTC programs and services.

The policy states that if the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office declares a Level 2 Snow Emergency, KTC will CANCEL its programming to protect everyone’s safety.

Today (Friday Dec. 23) the FCSO declared a Level 2 Snow Emergency for Franklin County.

We will be watching local weather developments, and will make a determination at 5 PM Saturday about whether KTC will be open for its special Christmas Day program on Sunday.

Please watch your email for an update tomorrow after 5 PM.

Meanwhile, if anyone has questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding, and for your service to KTC!

With prayers and good wishes,
Kathy Wesley for KTC

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom (At Least, a Digital form …)

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Many of our KTC dharma friends know about the Heart Sutra, a famous Buddhist scripture that teaches an ultimate view of the empty and luminous nature of all things.

A few years ago, a KTC friend created a paper copy of the sutra and we got dozens printed, as we received a teaching from Khenpo Ugyen about the sutra and wanted to practice reciting it.

We’ve now run out of books, but cannot find the source document – the digital file containing the book pages and covers for printing.

Do any of our readers have an electronic copy of this booklet? If so, contact Lama Kathy at lamakathy@columbusktc.org and let her know.

May all beings benefit!

Giving Tuesday

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We are just a few days away from the biggest giving day of the year – #GivingTuesday.

On November 29th, KTC will  join the global movement to celebrate giving back. 

 

           Help us reach our goal of $10,800. 

 

Mark it on your calendars!

 

Two Ways to Give:

On Facebook -Visit Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusKTC

On KTC Website -: https://columbusktc.kindful.com/

KTC members and friends celebrate our Flag-Raising in Spring, 2022.

 

Thank you, Kim! Gifts and Reception Celebrate a Milestone

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After more than 20 years’ service as a KTC Board member – the last 8 years as director – Kim Miracle celebrated her retirement from KTC Board service this past Sunday.
In a short presentation after the Sunday Dharma Talk on “Pilgrimage” by Cathy Lhamo Jackson, Lama Kathy, Lama Tom, and Acting Director Chuck Drake made presentations of flowers and gifts to Kim to mark the milestone. After a round of applause from those in the shrine room, Kim thanked all the past and present Board members for their service to KTC, and described the process of rebuilding the KTC as a group effort guided and inspired by our late founder, Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.
Kim remarked that she and other KTC volunteers learned how to build a new center step by step, learning along the way. “Lama Karma, who was president of KTD at the time, said we needed to write a book about how to build a dharma center,” Kim said, “and we told him that one of the chapters could be titled, “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do.’”
At the end of her remarks, Kim invited those in the audience to consider volunteering for KTC themselves, to help support what she and other volunteers have built.  There is great merit in volunteering to help the dharma center, she said, and great benefit for sentient beings.
Thank you for your service, Kim!

In-Person Sunday Morning Pujas Return Nov. 6!

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With COVID cases on the decline and Franklin County now marked as “Green” in the Centers for Disease Control’s rating system, Columbus KTC’s Board recently decided to re-start our in-person chant practices (called “pujas”) on Sunday mornings.
Pujas will return in-person on Sunday Nov. 6, the first Sunday in November.
Tara Puja will be in the Main Shrine Room at 8:30 AM Sundays
A rotating roster of chant practices will be held at 10 AM Sundays in the Children’s Room:
  • First and Fifth Sundays: Chenrezig/Amitabha Puja
  • Second Sundays: Medicine Buddha Puja
  • Third Sunday Ngondro Class will still be virtual on Zoom at 9 AM; the Children’s Room will be open for individual Ngondro practice at 10 AM.
MASKS ARE STILL REQUESTED to be worn inside the KTC building. Our medical advisors say that masks offer an extra layer of protection since COVID spreads by aerosol droplets in the air.

KTC Director Kim Miracle Completes a Decade of Service to the Sangha

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After more than a decade of service to the sangha of Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling – the last seven years consecutively – Kim Miracle has completed her volunteer board service and will retire from the KTC administrative Board.

Her retirement, which begins Nov. 1, comes after completing the seven-year task of raising $3.2 million to rebuild the KTC meditation center after it was destroyed by an arson fire in January 2016.

Kim had previously served as KTC director in the 2010s, presiding over a volunteer development effort and overseeing visits by many visiting teachers.

After becoming center director seven years ago, Kim was helping the center organize needed repairs to its old 1924-vintage wooden church building when an arsonist struck, setting fires in trash bins in the KTC’s alley. One of those fires set the KTC building ablaze, with Kim being notified early in the morning of Sunday Jan. 31 that firefighters were trying to battle the fire.

While the building burned in the background, Kim was on the phone with Lama Karma Drodhul, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s nephew, telling them about the fire, and receiving the Rinpoche’s immediate advice – “don’t be sad – rebuild it.”

Kim was instrumental in building a coalition of experts who advised KTC on everything from tearing down our old building, to finding temporary housing, and beginning the work of designing a new building.

Over the next seven years, Kim, along with KTC’s lamas, Board members, and volunteers, invested thousands of hours of volunteer work to shepherd the project through government approvals, architect and contractor hiring, and overseeing construction work. Through their efforts, the new KTC building was opened in March of this year.

But even after the completion of this major project, there was more work to be done. In the last few months, Kim helped organize a sangha pledge drive, volunteer work parties, and meetings to help KTC set its strategic goals and create a vision statement for the future. Her contribution to KTC and its projects has been immeasurable!

The Columbus KTC Store is Open!

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Stop by the Columbus KTC Store on Sunday mornings between 10:30 am and 11:30 am. Storekeeper Anne and her team are excited to show you all the wonderful items including books, malas, incense and much more. Hope to see you there!