Lama Kathy’s Dharma Blog: Prayer Flags in the Wind

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Prayer flags flying in the wind is a timeless symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. Strings of multicolored flags printed with sacred mantras – white, red, blue, green, and yellow – dance on the wind like a rainbow-colored wave, bringing blessing to all who are downwind of its prayers.

Prayer flags have been a symbol of Columbus KTC’s participation in the Community Festival – Comfest – for the last 10 or 15 years. We’re really not sure when KTC put together its first booth at Comfest, but ever since then, we’ve been “the prayer flag people,” offering prayer flags and incense sticks to passers-by who want to hear a little about meditation and the Buddhist path.

“We mainly talked about Buddhism and answered questions for people,” said Stacey Berry, KTC’s assistant director, who helped shepherd booth during Comfest last weekend. “We met a lot of people who are already meditating, but said they were looking to sit with a group.”

Comfest, an annual celebration of music and community organizations, is the main outreach activity KTC participates in each year.

It’s a great volunteer activity, and Stacey says our booth volunteers – many of them new folks themselves – enjoy meeting people and talking about the KTC.

The hours our volunteers spend at the festival come to fruition in the following months, as those passers-by carry through on their aspiration and come through our doors.

So if you see new people at KTC in the next few months, think of those aspirations and be the continuation of our Comfest hospitality, uplifting and encouraging them to connect at KTC.

In other words, you can be a “prayer flag” too ☺

Thanks to Our Comfest Chenrezig Chanters!

Many great, good THANKS go out to this year’s Chenrezig Chanters, who took to the Live Arts Stage at Comfest on Saturday morning to chant the short Chenrezig sadhana and the Miribai Lee Harrington “Kirtan” version of the OM MANI PEME HUNG chant.

Guitarist Ron Hess and chanters Michael, Rufus, Em, Chantal, Aiden, Olivia, Marilyn and Julane did a marvelous job of chanting and blessing the Comfest grounds with the compassion mantra. May all beings benefit!