Lama Jampa, accompanied by Dechen Dolma, has just completed a fourteen day tour of four Bodhi Path centres founded by Shamar Rinpoche on the east coast of the USA.
His teaching began in Washington DC, where, on October 21st and 22nd, he gave instructions on Geshe Chekhawa's Seven Points of Mind Training together with the commentary by Shamar Konchok Yenlak. From there, Lama Jampa traveled to the centre in Natural Bridge. Set in the deep forests of Virginia, the centre is the principal seat of Shamar Rinpoche in the United States. There Lama Jampa gave an introduction to the common and uncommon systems of Madhyamaka to an enthusiastic sangha gathering, including four Dechen students.
New York City was the next stop. At the Bodhi Path centre in uptown Manhattan, Lama Jampa taught Geshe Langri Thangpa's Eight Verses of Mind Training. He and Dechen Dolma were joined by family members who had flown in from California and, on the one free day of the trip, Lama Jampa, as is usual, visited the faded glory of Greenwich Village.
On Friday 30th Lama Jampa began three days of teaching on Martha's Vineyard, the beautiful island located off the coast of Massachussets. Once again Lama Jampa was requested to teach the Seven Points of Mind Training, as Shamar Rinpoche gave this a central place in the spiritual curriculum of his Bodhi Path centres.
Thus, in all, Lama Jampa has visited eight US Bodhi Path centres this year in fulfilment of the request made by Shamar Rinpoche shortly before his passing. Everywhere they went he and Dechen Dolma were struck by the kindness and seriousness of Rinpoche's students and by the very tangible sense of his blessing.