Padmasambhava arrives in Stuttgart
Lama Jampa arrived for a short stay at Sakya Dechen Ling Stuttgart, en route to Italy. On the first evening he bestowed the initiation of Padmasambhava from the lineage of Apham Terton, who is thought to be the previous incarnation of His Holiness Sakya Trichen. The initiation is especially connected with the famous seven line prayer to Guru Rinpoche.
Then on the second evening Lama-la bestowed a short text by Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen called "The Eight Dreamlike Experiences”. As ever the students were grateful that Lama-la had found time to come to Stuttgart once again, providing renewed inspiration for the flourishing of the centre under Wolfgang & Hilde’s direction.
Panoramic view of the Buddha's teachings in Northern Italy
After his visit to Stuttgart, Lama Jampa travelled across the Alps to give teachings at a Bodhi-path retreat centre in Bordo. Disciples of Sharmar Rinpoche discovered this then abandoned village in the northern Italian Alps in the early 1980s. With Sharmar Rinpoche's permission, they started to establish a Buddhist community there and to rebuild the village. Many high-ranking masters of the Kagyu lineage, such as Kalu Rinpoche, Chime Rinpoche, Gendün Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Khandro Rinpoche, the 17th Karmapa, Shamar Rinpoche and Jigme Rinpoche have so far found their way to the village and given teachings.
Under the heading "Why are we Buddhists" Lama Jampa gave a teaching on the Four Seals and far beyond. The teaching was attended by young volunteers of the centre as well as experienced practitioners, including the oldest resident of Bordo. Lama Jampa gave them all valuable insights through his vast knowledge and his clear and precise way of teaching. Those of the participants who are at the beginning of the Buddhist path received from Lama-la provided a basic understanding, so that they can begin to engage with the Dharma. For more experienced Dharma practitioners, Lama Jampa gave precious advice to deepen their understanding and practice of the Dharma.
Lama Jampa showed that the Three Jewels are an indestructible refuge and that the Four Seals are their basis. If we really take them to heart we are unshakeable, as they describe the fundamental basis of all conditional phenomena and samsara and give us ways and means to gradually free ourselves from samsara.
Lama Jampa taught the Four Seals from the Mahayana perspective and gave clear explanations of the terms bodhicitta, buddha-nature and ultimate truth. Likewise, he gave a brief overview and classification of vajrajana. Thus he enabled the participants to get a complete picture of the basics of Tibetan Buddhism within 3 days. What a unique opportunity, which was gratefully used by the participants. This was also reflected in the stimulating questions during the 2 hours of Q&A at the end of the course.
During the days in Bordo there were also times of meditation and silence. In front of a unique mountain panorama one could walk around the stupa and the evenings ended with a group Chenrezig practice.
A big thank you goes to Tengye-la, director of the Dharma Centre, who lovingly organised the course and took care of everyone.
