Primordial Wisdom and Wisdom in Exile: teachings for Bodhi Path and Dechen in Germany

Lama Jampa visited the Bodhipath Centre in Renchen Ulm from 14.2. to 16.2.25. There he gave teachings on Karmapa Rangjung Droje Shastra "Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom" for the 5th time. He referred to Karma Thinley Rinpoche's commentary on the text. After an intensive explanation of the view of Buddha nature, Lama Jampa began to teach the second part of the text, explanations of ultimate wisdom. Here he began to explain how, on the Buddhist path, the 8 impure samsaric states of consciousness presented earlier can be transformed into aspects of ultimate wisdom.

Through Lama Jampa's clear and precise teaching, the participants present and online were able to experience and internalise a little more of these profound teachings. This led to great gratitude and joy from the whole Bodhipath centre. Everyone is already looking forward to Lama Jampa's next visit in autumn 2025.

After the teachings in Renchen-Ulm, Lama Jampa went to Sakya Dechen LIng, Stuttgart and gave a public talk entitled Wisdom in Exile: Buddhism in the West Today. Lama Jampa Thaye presented insights from his book "Wisdom in Exile" and talked about the challenges and opportunities of Buddhism in the West, especially with regard to cultural exchange and authentic practice. 

The public talk was simultaneously translated into German and is available on Sakya Dechen LIng`s youtube channel here.

On Monday evening Lama Jampa Thaye gave the initiation into the meditation deity "Red Sarasvati". The practise of the sadhana of this female yidam leads to the attainment of wisdom.

Finding Buddha Nature in Manchester

Over the weekend of the 8th and 9th of February, Lama Jampa Thaye began teaching the Gyud Lama at the Shedra in Manchester, and on Sunday afternoon, bestowed the initiation of White Manjushri, from the lineage of Tropha Lotsawa.

The Gyud Lama, or Supreme Continuity, is the fifth work of The Five Dharmas of Maitreya, a set of teachings given by Maitreya, to the Indian master, Asanga. Lama Jampa explained that the Gyud Lama is the most important and revered of these five works, due to its special clarity in explaining the buddha nature teachings. It is a work that is important to all four of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Over the coming sessions of the Shedra, to be held in February and June from now on, Lama Jampa will be teaching the root text along with the Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye’s commentary, The Indomitable Lion’s Roar. The first part of the commentary begins by explaining two different approaches to the teachings on buddha nature, firstly through the Path of Inferential Reasoning in which it is held to be a provisional skilful means, to help one perceive emptiness, the unelaborated nature of all phenomena. The second approach is the Path of Direct Experience, in which the buddha nature is valued as the final and definitive meaning of the whole of the dharma – this approach, rooted in meditative practice, was upheld by such masters as the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, as well as Jamgon Kongtrul himself, and was coined Zhentong, or Great Madhyamaka, by the Jonang master, Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen.

From this profound point of view, the buddha nature is beyond the limit of the intellect, being the luminous true nature of mind, only realisable through the direct experience of non-conceptual meditation. Lama Jampa taught how this lineage of understanding came into the Kagyu tradition, to become known as Sutra Mahamudra, and described its very close connection to the Mahamudra lineage from Maitripa. The buddha nature, understood in this way, is completely perfect and naturally present at all times, not needing to be created or amended. The path of practice is the method of seeing through the temporary clouds of misunderstanding that seem to cover our mind, allowing us to recognise the buddha within.

For all those fortunate enough to attend, Lama Jampa Thaye thus pointed to the stainless and brilliant sky of the buddha nature mind.