Archive for category: Upcoming Events

Each year we celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year in the Tibetan Calendar with special prayers to bring blessings into our dharma practice and our lives. 

This year, we will welcome the Year of the Tiger, according to the Tsurphu Lunar Calendar, on Wednesday Feb. 2.

Monday evening Jan. 31 at 7 PM – To clear away the obstacles of the old year we will have a special EVENING Green Tara Chant online through Zoom. Lama Kathy will preside and our regular Green Tara Umdze (chant leader) Marilyn Stephen will lead the chant, which will last about 80 minutes.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88616696341?pwd=eFdlMzk3MDUrRkhNUVlKc0c3eUo4dz09
Meeting ID: 886 1669 6341Passcode: 515800

Tuesday evening Feb. 1 at 6:30 PM  – We will add the Smoke Offering of the Mountains to our usual Chenrezig sadhana. Both will be on the same Zoom channel; you can join at any time. Want to do a smoke offering of your own? Simply light a stick of incense and place it outdoorsin a flowerpot filled with sand (or an incense burner). We will offer the smoke to the awakened ones and all the local deities and protectors, asking for blessings in the New Year.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87564734195?pwd=OGV3NnlPZ3JuNWV5ZUg2N2o1ei9FQT09
Meeting ID: 875 6473 4195Passcode: 262197

Wednesday morning Feb. 2 at 9 AM – We will welcome the New Year and start our year off right – with special prayers for blessing and auspiciousness. Bring a candle – electric or natural – because we will recite the Lamp Offering prayers, along with aspirations and blessings.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89302115616?pwd=NEtWZ0VkV2dZcXFGdUV4cXR0WW1idz09
Meeting ID: 893 0211 5616Passcode: 670215

And there’s even more opportunities to accumulate merit. Read on!

The first two weeks of Losar coincide each year with the Great Occasion of the Buddha’s Performance of Miracles (Chötrul Duchen, in Tibetan) on, 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. This year, Chötrul Duchen will take place on Wednesday Feb. 16. So this is a good time to plan in extra dharma offerings and practice!

LOSAR MATCHING FUND CAMPAIGN
Since it is so meritorious to give offerings to dharma causes during the first 15 days of the Tibetan New Year, we are offering our dharma friends the opportunity to donate to KTC in a special “Matching Funds” campaign. Since we are working on closing out our construction accounts and beginning repayment of our $200,000 construction loan, the funds raised in this special campaign will be dedicated to KTC’s area of greatest need, whether that is construction, loan repayment, or operations.

Each donation will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor up to $5,000. Campaign will begin on Wednesday Feb. 6 conclude on Wednesday Feb. 16.

You can give through our website:https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YMTXX46F2X7AG&source=url

Or on our Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusKTC

Either way, you’ll be benefitting all sentient beings with the blessings of dharma.

May all beings benefit!

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.

Pre-Losar Mahakala Puja

Sunday, February 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

In Tibetan Buddhist religious communities, it is customary to conclude the year with a protector puja to clear away obstacles from the “old year” and prepare for Losar. By reciting the Mahakala puja and making offerings of torma and tea, we ask for Mahakala’s blessings to help us through the year.

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Sang Puja

Sunday, February 11 @ 11:15 am

The day before Losar,Tibetan Buddhists traditionally make an outdoor incense offering called “Sang.” During Sang Puja, we offer fragrant wood and incense outdoors. After making the outdoor offering, we go indoors to chant. We then imagine the outdoor incense offering to be offerings as vast as space that please the enlightened ones and benefit sentient beings.

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 Losar Sacred Day Retreat

Friday, February 16 @ 8:00 am

Tibetan New Year, or Losar, marks the start of a new Lunar year. Virtuous acts done during this time are multiplied many thousand-fold because of its connection with events in the life of the historical Buddha. Losar festivities always include morning and evening prayers. Join us at 8am for the Green Tara Puja to start the year with prayer and meditation.

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Shabbat Supper & Prayers
with Tifereth Israel Congregation

Friday, February 16 @ 6:00 pm | Register Online

At 6 p.m. that evening, we will have a joint Shabbat (Sabbath) prayer service and meal with our Tifereth Israel spiritual friends. They would like to host us so we can help them wish farewell and good luck to Rabbi Ungar, who is retiring. Meal Registration is Required; deadline for Meal Registration is Feb. 13.

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Losar Sunday Celebration

Sunday, February 18 @ 11:30 am

Our main KTC Tibetan New Year celebration takes place on Losar Sunday – the first Sunday after the Losar holiday. Members, friends, families and the Sangha are invited to meet the Sunday after Losar to light lamps, acknowledge volunteers, swear in new officers, and make offerings to a representation of His Holiness Karmapa, the head of our lineage.

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Losar Sangha Lunch

Sunday, February 18 @ 1:00 pm | RSVP here

You are invited to join our regular Third Sunday Sangha lunch to celebrate Losar. We will meet Peking Dynasty Restaurant, 2210 E. Livingston Ave.  (Participants will pay for their meal.)

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Pre-Losar Mahakala Puja

Saturday, February 25 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am | Register Online

In Tibetan Buddhist religious communities, it is customary to conclude the year with a protector puja to clear away obstacles from the “old year” and prepare for Losar. By reciting the Mahakala puja and making offerings of torma and tea, we ask for Mahakala’s blessings to help us through the year.

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Sang Puja

Sunday, February 26 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

The day before Losar,Tibetan Buddhists traditionally make an outdoor incense offering called “Sang.” During Sang Puja, we offer fragrant wood and incense outdoors. After making the outdoor offering, we go indoors to chant. We then imagine the outdoor incense offering to be offerings as vast as space that please the enlightened ones and benefit sentient beings.

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Losar Sacred Day Retreat

Monday, February 27
Green Tara @ 8:00 am & Chenrezig @ 7:00 pm

Tibetan New Year, or Losar, marks the start of a new Lunar year. Virtuous acts done during this time are multiplied many thousand-fold because of its connection with events in the life of the historical Buddha. Losar festivities always include morning and evening prayers. Join us at 8am for the Green Tara Puja and again at 7 pm for in the Chenrezig Puja.

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Losar Sunday Celebration

Sunday, March 5 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Our main KTC Tibetan New Year celebration takes place on Losar Sunday – the first Sunday after the Losar holiday. Members, friends, families and the Sangha are invited to meet the Sunday after Losar to light lamps, acknowledge volunteers, swear in new officers, and make offerings to a representation of His Holiness Karmapa, the head of our lineage.

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Losar Sangha Lunch

Sunday, March 5 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Register Online

You are invited to a vegetarian lunch to celebrate Losar. There is no charge for the lunch but donations will be appreciated to cover the cost of this meal.  

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