Teaching Received
Below is a brief summary of the teachings Lama Jampa Thaye has received in his own words. You can find a fuller account in his book, "River of Memory: Dharma Chronicles".
Education and Practice
The following is a brief account of the main teachings that I have received from my principal masters. Beyond these there are numerous minor teachings and initiations that I received from other very kind teachers.
Concerning teachings
From Karma Thinley Rinpoche, Phende Rinpoche and Ngor Thartse Khen Rinpoche I received teachings on major texts and related commentaries dealing with the topics of Paramita, Madhyamaka and the Three Vows and also works by such masters as Sakya Pandita, Sonam Tsemo, Drakpa Gyaltsen, Gampopa and Mipham Rinpoche.
In addition, from Karma Thinley Rinpoche, I received teachings on the special Karma Kagyu system of Zhentong Madhyamaka as presented in the works of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, Karmapa Mikyo Dorje and Jamgon Kongtrul.
Rinpoche also bestowed the transmission for five of his own texts on philosophy and meditation practice upon me.
Concerning the cycles of Sakya instructions
I received the initiations, teachings and textual transmissions of ‘The Path and its fruit’ (‘Assembly Transmission’ ) from His Holiness Sakya Trizin together with commentaries by Sachen Kunga Nyingpo and Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen on the ‘Root Verses’. I also received the initiations for ‘The Path and its Fruit’ cycle from Ngor Phende Rinpoche, the textual transmissions from Karma Thinley Rinpoche and the instructions from Ngor Thartse Khen Rinpoche.
From His Holiness I also received the initiations of the Vajrayogini cycle together with the very extensive ‘tri’ composed by Jamyang Chentze Wangpo. I also received this same cycle from Ngor Phende Rinpoche but with the medium length ‘tri’ composed by Jamyang Chentze Wangchuk. Furthermore, Phende Rinpoche gave me the initiations and ‘tri’ for White Tara and Bhutadamara.
Concerning the major collections
From His Holiness Sakya Trizin I received initiations from each of the four tantra sets contained in ’The Collection of Tantras’, most importantly those of Chakrasamvara according to the transmissions of Lohipa, Krishnacharya and Vajraghanta and the initiations of the three forms of Guhyasamaja - Lokeshvaravajra, Manjuvajra and Akshobyvajra. I also received a couple of initiations from this collection from his Holiness’ elder son, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche - now the 42nd Sakya Trizin.
Over the years His Holiness has also bestowed many parts of the ‘Collection of Sadhanas’ upon me including ‘The Thirteen Golden Dharmas’, the ‘Four Kadam Deities’, ‘The One Hundred Deities of Narthang’, the Eighty Four Siddhas according to the Jonang transmission, the Atisha and Suryagupta transmissions of the Twenty One Taras, the White and Red Saraswatis and many initiations of the Sakya dharmapalas. This last group and ‘The Thirteen Golden Dharmas’ I received in private from His Holiness. In addition from this same great collection, Karma Thinley Rinpoche privately gave me the initiations of ‘The One Hundred Deities of Bari Lotsava’, initiations of the three major longevity deities and various forms of Vajrapani, Manjushri, Tara and Chenrezi.
As regards Kagyu
From HH 16th Karmapa, HH 17th Karmapa, Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, Bokar Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche and Karma Thinley Rinpoche I received the most important initiations including Marpa, Mila, Gampopa, Karma Pakshi , Vajravarahi, Jinasagara and Mahakala as well as the Surmang transmission of Chod.
Alongside these, I obtained the transmission for the Indian root texts of mahamudra and the Six Dharmas of Naropa, two mahamudra manuals of Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, the Doha Trilogy of Saraha and Situ Dharmakara’s ‘Direct Teachings of the Supreme Siddhas’ from Karma Thinley Rinpoche, 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, Ato Rinpoche and Thrangu Rinpoche.
From amongst the teachings of the Nyingma, I received the entire cycle of the Konchog Chindu from Karma Thinley Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche and Bokar Rinpoche. Besides this, I received a few initiations from the collections of Chogyur Lingpa, Dudjom and Rigdzin Mingyur Dorje as well as a number of transmissions and initiations connected with the Longchen Nyingthig cycle from various masters such as Karma Thinley Rinpoche, Ato Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Orgyan Tulku, Dudjom Rinpoche and Chime Rigdzin Rinpoche. In addition, I received instruction and transmission for Patrul Rinpoche’s ‘Hitting the Essence in Three Words’ from the late Dingo Chentze Rinpoche.
Finally, from the Kadam tradition, Karma Thinley Rinpoche bestowed Sempa Chenpo and Zhonnu Gyalchog’s ’One Hundred Mind Trainings’ upon me together with the root text and commentary of Atisha’s ‘Lamp of the Path of Enlightenment’. In addition, I received six different commentaries on ‘The Seven Points of Mind Training’ from Rinpoche, Shamar Rinpoche and Ato Rinpoche.
Concerning practice
Between 1973 and 1975 I completed the mahamudra preliminaries together with the daily practice of Vajravarahi and then practised the guru yogas of the eighth Karmapa, Marpa and Milarepa. Subsequently, I accomplished the preliminaries and development and completion stages of Konchog Chindu as well as Amitabha and Phowa retreats
Subsequently, in the Sakya tradition, I completed the retreats of Vajrayogini, Hevajra and White Tara.