Transformative Power
Over the swelteringly hot weekend of 4th and 5th August, surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the wooded hills and valleys of the Dordogne, Lama Jampa taught a group of around 100 students about the transformative power of the Buddhist teachings on impermanence.
Overcoming Suffering
Sometimes thought of as a beginner's teaching, Lama Jampa showed in detail how meditating on impermanence can help us to overcome our suffering in an ordinary and everyday way, as well as being a gateway to understanding Buddha's most profound teachings on the nature of reality.
Realising the Nature of Reality
As Lama Jampa stated,
Contemplating impermanence brings about the transition from being a worldly person to being a dharma person: one who is no longer addicted to the things of this life. Once we have entered the dharma, good signs arise through contemplating impermanence: a relaxed and cheerful mind because we have an antidote to suffering. These are good qualities which depend upon impermanence. The very summit of the dharma, which recognises the nature of reality, depends upon recognition of impermanence.
All those who attended the teachings, including the monks and nuns from Dhagpo's monastic sangha as well as many people who were very new to buddhism, appreciated Lama Jampa's thorough and clear explanation, as well as a few jokes about Mick Jagger and Clint Eastwood!