On Saturday, September 11th, 2021, Lama Jampa Thaye made his Autumn visit to Yorkshire to transmit the final chapters of The Jewel Rosary of the Supreme Path, composed by Lord Gampopa (1074-1153).
Gampopa transmitted this text first to his own students and it has been passed down through the Kagyu tradition in Tibet and now in the West. Lama Jampa received it from his Root Guru, Karma Thinley Rinpoche in 1980 and has taught it on several occasions, the first at Kagyu Ling in Manchester in 1981. This time he has transmitted the text in Yorkshire over a period of three years (with a brief interruption), completing the lung (transmission or blessing) and tri (explanation) for the root verses comprising the final chapters, 24 to 28.
This text takes the form of a series of damnak (instructions) which - like the Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Gampopa's longer and more systematic text - covers the entire path to enlightenment and combines two streams of instructions: The first of these is the sutra tradition (the 'ordinary Mahayana'), graduated path instruction that Gampopa acquired in the course of his monastic education. This, transmitted within Je Atisha's 'Kadam' lineage, provides a solid basis for developing the correct view, meditation and conduct. The second stream comprises the tantric or vajrayana (the 'extraordinary Mahayana') instructions which can lead to fruition, if vows and commitments are taken seriously, within one lifetime. This was the Mahamudra inheritance received by Gampopa from the peerless yogin Milarepa and which led him finally to enlightenment and complete liberation.
Lord Gampopa himself said that receiving his Jewel Ornament and this Jewel Rosary together would be exactly the same as meeting him face to face. We give our heartfelt thanks to the Lama who has again enabled practitioners old and new to receive this teaching.
Looking ahead, Lama Jampa continues to teach the Jewel Ornament of Liberation in Manchester, next in the series taking place in early December, click here for details.