Lama Jampa’s tour of the Eastern United States started on October 13 at the Bodhi Path centre in Natural Bridge, Virginia, home to a beautiful reliquary stupa of Shamar Rinpoche, the founder of this group of centres with locations throughout North America and Europe. 

Many people gathered in Bristol on the weekend of 13/14 October to receive teachings from Khaywang Lama Jampa Thaye on the famous Sakya text Parting From the Four Attachments (Zhenpa Zhidral in Tibetan). Using the short commentary by Nubkyi Rigzin Drak which interweaves this teaching with the Four Dharmas, Lama Jampa was able to complete the entire teaching in a single session.

A Week in the Life of an Exceptional Buddhist Master

Over the course of a week Lama Jampa gave three sets of teachings and a vajrayana initiation. He travelled from London to Renchen Ulm to give two days of teachings on Buddha Nature from the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. From there he went to the Dechen centre in Stuttgart where he gave a vajrayana initiation followed by teachings on karma from the text on the Three Visions by Ngorche Konchog Llundrup of the Sakya tradition. Finally he travelled to Bregenz in Austria to give mind training teachings at the Bodhi Path centre there.

If we want to live a happier life, Lama Jampa says, we need to begin by being ‘rigorously honest with ourselves’. This involves really examining the things we rely on to make us happy and realising how fragile and fleeting these things are. We need to be honest with ourselves; our ego is the greatest conman going but happiness does not come from fooling ourselves.

The weekend was a truly joyous occasion with many attending a Buddhist teaching event for the first time. Some reflected on how profound these teachings are for people and others expressed gratitude for the clear, direct, point by point explanations given by Lama Jampa; many said how wonderful it was to be there listening to words of such clarity and gentle wisdom.

In the idyllic surroundings of the Périgord Noir, with its lush landscape and rich history, Lama Jampa Thaye gave the entire cycle of initiations of the 21 Taras from the 11th century Indian master, Atisha. This is the first time this series of initiations has been given in the West.

During four days of glorious Dordogne sunshine in early August, in the elegant surroundings of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s Institute, Lama Jampa completed a three year cycle of teaching on the great Sakya text ‘Dispelling Error’ by Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen.  

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.

Video no. 2 in the series Buddhist Life Hacks: A Voice of Reason in a Turbulent World is now available on Lama Jampa's YouTube channel. 

On Tuesday 17 July a new series of short videos was launched on Lama Jampa's YouTube channel. Entitled 'Buddhist Life Hacks: A Voice of Reason in a Turbulent World' these videos have Lama Jampa answering FAQ's about Buddhism.

Lama Jampa returned to Stuttgart for the last weekend in June to spend time with Dechen sangha there and to give teachings.

Bodhi Path members and members of the general public attended a weekend of teachings on Buddha nature, the Rays of the Immaculate Vajra Moon, written by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye.

Karma Migyur Ling is a centre for Tibetan studies instituted over 40 years ago by Lama Tunsang, who helped to build (yes, hands on) and develop it into the wonderful place it is today, with a traditional temple, accommodation and retreat facilities. A community of more than 20 people live and practice there, with regular courses provided  by visiting lamas.

Last weekend Lama Jampa gave teachings in Bristol UK on the second and final part of Karma Thinley Rinpoche's text Telescope of Faith - An expression of views on solar and lunar eclipses and forth.

Following the Visit of His Holiness 42nd Sakya Trizin to Mexico Lama Jampa Thaye stayed on to give further teachings at Sakya Dolma Ling in the colourful Coyoacán area of Mexico City.

Last week Lama Jampa Thaye and members of Dechen and other local Buddhist sanghas were delighted to welcome His Holiness 42nd Sakya Trizin (His Holiness the 42nd Kyabgon Gongma Trizin, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche) to both the Dechen centre in LA, Sakya Samten Ling and the Dechen centre in Mexico City, Sakya Dolma Ling.

On Saturday 28th April Lama Jampa gave teachings on The Jewel Garland, composed by the great Kagyu master Gampopa, a treasury of advice on practising genuine dharma. It unifies the two streams of spiritual instructions that descended from the early Kadam tradition and the Mahamudra lineage of Indian and Tibetan masters.

Between Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 15 Lama Jampa visited both Sakya and Kagyu sanghas at locations ranging from the sunshine of Santa Barbara to the snow melt of Calgary in order to give dharma teachings as appropriate to the time and place.

Many people interested in hearing more about mind training in the Buddhist tradition gathered at the beautiful London Wetland Centre in Barnes last weekend to hear Western Buddhist Master Lama Jampa Thaye begin teaching Geshe Langri Thangpa’s text The Eight Verses of Mind Training, along with the commentary by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje.

Escaping this crazy world for a few days to hear the teachings of Kongtrul Rinpoche delivered by Lama Jampa, in a centre run by serious practitioners and surrounded by natural beauty, was like visiting a pure land.