On Friday 3 March Lama Jampa had the honour of giving the Welcome Address to the attendees of the 2023 Karmapa Public Course at KIBI - the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute. This year a record number of people attended the course (c. 700 people).
Lama Jampa began by offering a prayer for Jigme Rinpoche and Chodrak Tenphel who were not able to be there for health reasons. He went on to speak about the history of KIBI, of how it was established by the 16th Karmapa in 1979 and was brought to completion by the great protector of our tradition, Shamarpa, and of the wonderful vision that HH16th had to establish such a place in the holy land of India. Lama Jampa pointed out that to date the Institute has already made an amazing contribution to the flourishing of dharma in this world. However he also reminded us that there is much more to do in terms of strengthening the transmission of the dharma, and that to this end there needs to be even greater links established between KIBI and the centres in the West.
Lama Jampa also talked about how KIBI is a place of the three great supports of Buddha, dharma and sangha and so is a place where we follow the Buddha’s injunction to hear, think and meditate.
“Listening to the dharma expounded by our teachers, reflecting on them and bringing them into us. Hearing the dharma dispels our ignorance, lack of knowledge. Reflecting on the dharma will dispel doubt. And then through meditation we will experience the luminous nature of mind, as Karmapa Rangjung Dorje said.”
Lama Jampa closed by briefly describing the different teachings to be given during the course, welcoming everyone to “this feast of joy.”
On the second day of the course, Lama Jampa Thaye began his teaching of a new commentary on The Seven Points of Mind Training composed by his root Lama, Karma Thinley Rinpoche. This is the first time that this commentary ‘Dispelling the Darkness of Suffering’ has been taught to a general audience. The lojong teachings are famous for showing us how to transform our ordinary, worldly mind into the enlightenment mind of bodhicitta. Lama Jampa explained that the power of lojong is so great that even difficult emotions can be transformed, so these teachings are especially powerful during these difficult times; they are like an alchemy that transforms base substances into gold.
On the third day Lama Jampa Thaye continued his teaching of 'Dispelling the Darkness of Suffering' beginning with an explanation of how to meditate on ultimate bodhicitta by investigating the nature of appearances. Lama Jampa explained the importance of both analytical meditation and even settling and how to investigate the nature of unborn awareness through Rinpoche’s commentary.
After the teaching, Lama Jampa’s students who were attending the course enjoyed some Indian cuisine together with Lama Jampa and Dechen Dolma at a nearby restaurant.
On the fifth day of the Karmapa Public Course, Lama Jampa continued teaching the relative bodhicitta aspect of mind training by explaining the practice of sending and taking (tonglen). Karma Thinley Rinpoche’s commentary provided some unique advice, such as how this could be incorporated into the practice of Chenrezik.
The session ended with a Q&A session. Lama Jampa answered several questions on the practice of tonglen and was able to provide reassurance to those who had previously encountered difficulties with it.
On the seventh day of the course, Lama Jampa began by giving a short biography of Karma Thinley Rinpoche, his lama and author of the commentary taught this week.
Rinpoche was born in 1931 in Kham, Eastern Tibet and was recognised as an incarnation of Beru Kunrik [a Sakyapa master] at the age of 2. Rinpoche and his family were very devoted to the Sakya tradition but his family later became devoted to the 16th Karmapa. Rinpoche spent some time at Tsurphu and HH Rangjung Rigpe Dorje gave him the title Karma Thinley which means ‘Activity of the Karmapa’. There had been [three] previous incarnations of Karma Thinley.
Once in India Rinpoche became the abbot of the Karma Kagyu nunnery in Tilokpur and in 1971 he went to Canada. Lama Jampa met Rinpoche a year or two after this and he became his first lama. Together with HH Sakya Trizin, Rinpoche has been his principal lama throughout his life.
Lama Jampa ended by saying how blessed we are that at the age of 91 Rinpoche is still here with us.
Following this introduction, Lama Jampa continued with his teaching of Dispelling the Darkness of Suffering, today covering both the transformation of the three poisons into the three roots of virtue, and the use of phrases to help with the implementation of mind training in everyday life.
Lama Jampa said that he was very happy that we could meet together and hear the words of Rinpoche’s commentary through which the blessings of Rinpoche’s lineage were transmitted. He also said that it was a great joy for him to be at KIBI as a student of His Holiness Karmapa.
On the eighth and final day of the course, HH Karmapa thanked KIBI and all the volunteers and teachers who created the space and tranquility which enabled the dharma transmission to take place this week. HH Karmapa said that KIBI is a place of many blessings due to its history and the great beings who have passed through it.
HH Karmapa marked the end the course with the bestowal of the empowerment of Amitayus, with Lama Jampa assisting in the distribution of the offerings.
