Last weekend Lama Jampa and Dechen Dolma were in Bristol for a weekend of wisdom, blessings and prayers.
On Saturday 3 June, Lama Jampa continued with this year’s teaching of the Dom Sum, ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’ by the great master Sakya Pandita. This brilliant examination of the spiritual disciplines found in the three vehicles is taught in the monastic colleges within the Sakya tradition. In it Sakya Pandita skillfully points out the mistakes that can be made by having a simplistic view of such topics as karma and buddha nature. With great kindness and clarity, he gives a sophisticated and nuanced view of how to conduct ourselves as a Buddhist, freeing us from the burden of rigidly following rules that are neither required nor aligned with what the Buddha intended.
In the afternoon, Lama Jampa gave the initiation of Manjushri Arapatsana, renowned for helping Buddhists to increase wisdom and thus travel more swiftly along the path. He also gave the reading transmission for this deity’s practice by Sakya Pandita, entitled ‘The Beautiful Gold Necklace which Enriches the Intellect’. This was particularly fitting as Sakya Pandita himself is seen as the embodiment of Manjushri.
On Sunday Lama Jampa gave a question and answer session on the dharma path at Sakya Thinley Rinchen Ling. Questions ranged from whether Buddhists should take holidays, to how to understand experiences that arise in meditation and how to approach the Buddhist view of non-self. Lama Jampa also gave individual interviews to those seeking advice on their studies and practice.
As this was the Buddha Day of Saga Dawa, Lama Jampa Thaye attended the Sakya Centre's evening prayers celebrating the enlightenment and mahaparinirvana of the Buddha. After the recitation of the Sixteen Sthaviras puja (The Liturgy of the Concise Puja of Prostrations to the Sthaviras together with Offerings, composed by Shakyashri), Lama Jampa gave a short talk explaining the importance of this prayer and the role of these sixteen chief disciples (Elders) of the Buddha in providing protection to the dharma and those that practice it. As such he encouraged us to continue to pray to these great beings for their help in preventing war in the world at this time.