Lama Kathy’s Dharma Blog: Shrines of the Times!
If you’re a keen observer of KTC’s building, you might have noticed the blue tape on the floor in front of the shrine room recently. It’s not an artistic statement or a mistake: our designers are planning KTC’s new shrine.
The beautiful displays you’ve seen blossoming at the front of the KTC Shrine Room are just a precursor to what we hope will be an equally stunning set of cabinets to house our incredible statuary – ¾ life-size Chenrezig and Tara statues and a larger-than-life representation of the Buddha in the form of Lord Vajradhara, origin of the Mahamudra Lineage.
It will be months before we start raising funds to build the shrine, and probably a year or more before it’s completed, but recently activity in the shrine sphere has been picking up steam:
- Lama Karma Drodhul gave us his set of temple-sized Kangyur texts – the 100+ volume set of the Buddha’s scriptures.
- At Lama Karma Lodro’s urging, the six Kagyu Lineage Forefather statues (part of the set that includes Lord Vajradhara) have been brought to Columbus from their temporary home at the Karme Ling Three-Year Retreat Center in New York.
- Our cabinet design team recently staged a “mock-up” test with large pieces of cardboard to “test” the appearance and size of the cabinets in the east alcove.
Meanwhile, in the Manjushri Library, our shrine to the Bodhisattva of Wisdom is slowly being assembled – the cabinet and temporary scroll painting have been put in place; next step is to decorate the shrine and locate a large Manjushri statue to bless the space.
Keep the prayers coming – we will need lots of positive vibes to urge these plans to their completion. Watch this space for updates – and may all beings benefit!
– Lama Kathy
