Update on the activities of His Holiness Sakya Trizin

Lama Jampa Thaye recently spoke to His Holiness Sakya Trizin who is currently residing in India. The annual Vajrakilaya ritual at Sakya Centre, which took place during the month of September, was a great success. The last day of the puja saw 6000 people attend. H.E. Asanga Rinpoche, one of the dungseys from the Phuntsok phodrang, led a portion of the ritual for the first time.

His Holiness recently travelled to Dharamsala, India for a conference with many senior Lamas, including the Dalai Lama. His Holiness is now back in Rajpur where He will remain for a few days before setting off on 2 October for a six week tour of Kalimpong, Sikkim and Darjeeling.

In other news, His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche is currently in Dzongsar monastery in India, where he is teaching the commentary on the Dorje Gur, one of the two explanatory tantras of Hevajra.

Lama Jampa Thaye in the West of England, September 2011

On Thursday 22 September Lama Jampa Thaye travelled to Sakya Namgyal Ling, Exeter where he gave a concise overview of the Buddhist path to members of the local sangha. The following day Lama Jampa gave interviews in Exeter before travelling to Bristol in the early evening.

On the morning of Saturday 24 September Lama Jampa taught the first part of the ‘Letter to the Noble Minded’. This brief text by Sakya Pandita clarifies the commitments involved in practising each of the three vehicles of Buddhism. It was written by Sakya Pandita in order to counter erroneous understandings of dharma practice that were extant at the time in Tibet. The teaching remains highly relevant today.

In the afternoon Lama Jampa bestowed the initiation of Simhamukha – one of the prized ‘Thirteen Golden Dharmas of Sakya’. Lama Jampa recounted how he had received these precious teachings from His Holiness Sakya Trizin 25 years earlier. He also mentioned that these were called ‘golden’ as their value was such that it was traditional for one to offer gold in order to receive them.

Lama Jampa Thaye’s next teaching will be in Stuttgart when he will bestow ‘The Fifty Verses on the Guru’ by Bhavideva, followed by the Initiation of White Sarasvati from the Bodong Lineage. Please click here for further information.

Karma Thinley Rinpoche visits Nangchen

At the mountain in Nangchen called Kala Rongo, where the terton Chogyur Dechen Lingpa discovered many hidden treasures

After a break of four years, Karma Thinley Rinpoche once again traveled back to his homeland of Nangchen, located in Kham, now part of Qinghai Province in China. This year it was possible for Rinpoche to be able to fly from the city of Zining to within three hours by road from Nangchen, which made the journey much more comfortable; when Rinpoche first returned to Nangchen in the 1980s, the same journey from Zining could take up to five days, depending on road conditions.

Rinpoche's family members and old friends were very happy to be able to receive him again, and for two months Rinpoche based himself at his temple, called Tegchen Chokor Ling, located in Nangchen Town. Last year the area close to Nangchen was struck by a terrible earthquake, devastating the regional capitol city of Jyekundo, which is now in the process of being rebuilt; and this year there was another smaller earthquake in Nangchen itself which caused structural damage to many buildings but fortunately no loss of life - because most of the people in the remote nomadic areas had already moved out of their houses and into tents for the summer. There was no damage to Tegchen Chokor Ling, and Rinpoche initiated a repair program to maintain the condition of the buildings.

Rinpoche made two major excursions into the surrounding nomadic areas, one was to a beautiful valley called Sanjong, where many of Rinpoches relatives still live. Sanjong is also the location of Jamyang Lobchung School, which was instigated under Rinpoche's direction in 1998 for the benefit of local children. The school now has more than 100 children and has a reputation as one of the best schools in the whole district. All the children live in the school because their homes are sometimes nearby, and sometimes, in the summer, much further away in the grassland pasture valleys high in the mountains.The whole school welcomed Rinpoche, and Rinpoche proceeded to bless the school buildings, teachers, kitchen staff and pupils.

The children are aged from 7 to 12, and they put on an extensive show of traditional dance and singing for Rinpoche. Rinpoche was able to stay three days in Sanjong, living in a tent amongst the summer flowers, and enjoying the delicious thick yoghurt presented by the local people.

The second excursion was up over a long winding pass to the high grasslands called Drongsho, to visit the site of his family's former palace, which is also Rinpoche's birthplace. Rinpoche knows the name and story behind every single mountain and valley there, and was able to visit both the monasteries of Lhachung and Lhachen, which were previously owned and administered by his family. 

Rinpoche's consolation for having to leave Nangchen as the summer came to an end was that he was going to be once again returning to the holy land of Nepal, birthplace of the Buddha, and location of his nunnery, Tegchen Legshey Ling, where he is currently residing.

Tegchen Chokor Ling, with new Sakya Shedra behind

Karma Thinley Rinpoche in Tegchen Chokor Ling lhakang

Lama Jampa teaches in Harrogate, 10 September 2011

On Saturday, 10 September Lama Jampa Thaye visited Kagyu Dechen Dzong in Harrogate. In the morning Lama Jampa taught Geshe Chekawa’s famed commentary on Geshe Langri Thangpa’s Eight Verses of Mind Training. In the afternoon Lama Jampa bestowed the Initiation of Amitayus (Nirmanakaya form) from the Taklung Kagyu tradition. 

Lama Jampa mentioned that he had received the Mind Training teachings from Karma Thinley Rinpoche in 1979. He also noted that Rinpoche considered these teachings to be extremely precious and exactly what is needed in the West. 

Lama Jampa’s next teaching in the UK will be in Bristol on 24 September where he will teach Sakya Pandita’s Letter to the Noble Minded and bestow the Initiation of Simhamukha. Please click here for further information.

Lama Jampa Thaye on radio in Manchester, 11 September 2011

Lama Jampa Thaye appeared on his regular radio slot in Manchester, England on Sunday, 11 September where he discussed his "thought for the week".

A recording of the interview has been uploaded to Lama Jampa Thaye's YouTube channel. Please click here to listen to the interview.

Recent updates to His Holiness Karmapa's official website

His Holiness Karmapa's official website has recently been updated with a number of news items. One item focuses on the recent death of His Holiness's long standing devotee and benefactor Ashok Chand Burman. Another contains a report of His Holiness's recent visit to the Buddhist Society of India in Mumbai. 

Please click here to view the website.

Lama Jampa Thaye teaches in Sofia, Bulgaria

Lama Jampa Thaye recently spent two weeks in Bulgaria. The majority of the visit was spent in Sofia where Lama Jampa was hosted by the sangha of Sakya Choling. 

During this time, he taught on two separate occasions. On the weekend of 20 to 21 August, he taught from Rain of Clarity, his authoritative text on the teachings of the Sakya tradition, and also bestowed the initiation of Green Tara from the lineage of Shakya Shri Bhadra. On the weekend of 3 to 4 September, he continued teaching from Rain of Clarity and in addition bestowed the initiation of White Tara from the lineage of Shakya Shri Bhadra.

Lama Jampa's next international visit will be to Los Angeles in October where he will bestow teachings at a number of local dharma centres. Please click here for further information.