Lama Jampa Thaye visited Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire on the 10th September 2022 to begin a series of teachings on the Union of the Great Seal and the Great Perfection.
The Union of The Great Seal and the Great Perfection is a major teaching in the form of a series of eight songs composed by Karma Chakme. Characterised by its directness and clarity it is one of the most famous set of meditation instructions in the Kagyu tradition.
In his text Karma Chakme guides us through the common and uncommon preliminary practices of Vajrayana and then by focussing on the meditation of Chenrezi he teaches the methods of deity yoga. This is followed by an introduction to the combined practice of the Great Seal (Mahamudra) and the Great Perfection (Dzok Chen).
Many people travelled from across the UK to hear this ancient yet profoundly contemporary text of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzog Chen,which Lama Jampa taught and explained with clarity and humour.
Lama Jampa Thaye began the teaching…
Its very nice to be here in Yorkshire, I was listening to Bobbie’s very poetic welcome and I agree with what she said about the beauties of Yorkshire. And also of course particularly auspicious to be here so close to the tragic but inspiring ruins of Bolton Abbey, to remind us of a time when authentic religious practice - not exactly of our kind of course - but still authentic religious practice flourished here and throughout the country. So in a small way let’s hope that our efforts will also contribute to the re-flourishing of authentic religious practice in our country, and that the Buddhist stream is a very important part of that. And also its good to say now, whether we are republican or monarchists, that we express our gratitude for the Queen’s life of service to the country and we join other peoples’ prayers for her and gratitude for what she has done for our country and for people beyond our country, and we pray for the future of our country. That’s important I think for us to feel and share.
The organisers of the event commented that…
Talking to our visitors during the day there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude for these words of wisdom that have arrived in our time and place as a result of the the careful sharing of the teachings (the transmissions) through the ages by the great teachers (Gurus) of the past right up until the present day. There was also an awareness that at the present time a space has opened up for the Buddha’s teachings, allowing us to hear, reflect and take to heart their meaning. On this bases we can then share the Buddha’s wisdom and especially the benefits of meditation with others in this time and place.