Author Archives for Rachel Deeming
January 27, 2025 10:30 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
Saturday 18 January saw the first teaching event of Lama Jampa’s programme for 2025. It was a time to reconnect with the teachings and fellow explorers on the path, both new and those of a more mature vintage. The day opened with Lama Jampa recommencing teachings on Sakya Pandita‘s ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’, a work which illuminates how to practice the Buddhist path – without detour – to its destination. In part 12 of this series, the author continues to clarify misunderstandings about the vajrayana, the swift path to buddhahood, relying on the teachings in the tantras. Whilst composed in the 13th century in Tibet, this text remains a vital resource in addressing errors that are present today as Buddhism makes a home in the West. In this instalment, Sakya Pandita deals with a whole range of topics, from how Buddhahood is manifested through different modes, depending on the needs and realisation of the student, to how it is necessary to understand what teachings are helpful as far as they go, and which point towards the true nature of things. For example, through giving, we relax our grip on self and gradually approach the ultimate teaching, understanding finally that giver, gift and recipient are all empty as all are dependent on each other. During the afternoon, Lama Jampa gave the vajrayana initiation of Red Saraswati. Found in the master work by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo called the ‘Collection of Sadhanas’, the practice of Red Saraswati cultivates the wisdom to both understand the teachings and to realise the true nature of things. An ideal way to approach the teachings of Sakya Pandita, known as the wisdom mind of Tibet. Lama Jampa will continue with ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’ in London on 22 March and we welcome him back to Bristol in the…
October 11, 2024 9:27 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
With its echoes of Victorian grandeur – complete with sparkling chandeliers – the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel in Bristol was the setting for Lama Jampa Thaye‘s third visit to Bristol of 2024 on Saturday 5 October. Over 100 people came to hear the 9th part of Sakya Pandita’s ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’, and to receive the initiation of Manjushri Arapatsana. Introducing the teaching, Lama Jampa explained that whilst this text may seem difficult right now, over time our understanding will increase and we will be able to integrate it into our study and practice. The teachings are so precious and it can be rare to receive them, so we need to make the most of any opportunity to hear them. He also drew parallels between the Tibet of Sakya Pandita in the 13th century and today in the West as we are encountering the dharma. Then, as now, it is possible to make many mistakes on the Buddhist path, rendering it ineffective and those practising it disillusioned. Sakya Pandita’s text guards against this by clarifying how to practise the three vehicles of Buddhism so that they lead to the goal, whether that is complete freedom from suffering, or the state of wisdom, compassion and power of buddhahood. Each vehicle is complete in itself and it’s vital to avoid mixing the different medicines together, so that they are able to heal our difficulties and delusions. This instalment of the teaching focused on the vajrayana, the indestructible vehicle that can lead to buddhahood in one life. Even if we’re not practising this now, receiving this wise counsel means that should we choose to practise it later on the path, we can approach it with intelligence and confidence. In the afternoon, Lama Jampa gave the vajrayana initiation of Manjushri Arapatsana, embodiment of all the…
September 12, 2024 10:19 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
This year, the second week of the Dechen summer course at Sakya Changlochen Ling offered a wonderful opportunity for some of our young practitioners (and their grownups) to study and deepen their connection with the Three Jewels while having lots of fun! Here’s a look at how the week unfolded for the Dechen youngsters. Day 1: Setting the Scene The retreat began with a beautifully arranged shrine room for our first session of group practice, which immediately set a serene and welcoming tone for families. Paul guided us through the practice, starting with a reminder of the mind training teachings, emphasising the importance of being kind to others, just like Chenrezik, the embodiment of compassion. Together, children and parents recited the Chenrezik sadhana in English, accompanied by instructions on visualisation to help us connect deeply with the practice. Following the sadhana, the children listened to a wonderfully read Jataka tale, the story of the Buddha’s previous life as the Monkey King, who used his body as a bridge to guide his tribe to safety. These stories, read by the children throughout the week, brought to life the values of wisdom, kindness, and humility, and were a treat for both grownups and kids alike. The afternoon was spent playing football, foosball, and ping pong, with time to explore the grounds, including the nearby lake. We even found an auspicious four-leaf clover! Day 2: A Day of Simplicity and Spontaneity Without a formal shrine on the second day, we created a makeshift space for practice. The sadhana was again conducted in English, with the children becoming more familiar with the structure. This was followed by another child-led story time and playtime in the garden. After a picnic and fun in the garden, some families went on a walk along the Vezere River…
September 7, 2024 5:04 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
The last two weeks of a still balmy August saw the completion of this year’s summer school with Lama Jampa Thaye at our European retreat centre in France, Sakya Changlochen Ling. Around 100 people from the USA, Mexico, Germany, Poland, Ireland and the UK came together for this important course. During the first week, Lama Jampa gave teachings on the ‘Seven Points of Mind Training’, a cycle of pithy, direct and practical teachings to transform the mind. To explain the text, he relied upon a beautifully composed commentary by Karma Thinley Rinpoche entitled ‘Dispelling the Darkness of Suffering’. In this, Rinpoche illuminates how skill in philosophical texts and ritual practice of vajrayana cannot lead to spiritual realisation without the inner transformation that widens our view from our own happiness to focusing instead on the happiness of others. In this system, we put ourselves in others’ shoes, wishing to give all happiness to them and take on their sufferings. This is done with an attitude of uncompromising and fearless joy, understanding that this is precisely the means of developing both the compassion and wisdom that lead to buddhahood, through dispelling the illusion of self. This teaching also shows how our encounters with the circumstances of our own minds, lives and with others are essential ingredients for genuine practice, for without these, it is simply not possible to develop such qualities as patience. Also during the first week, Lama Jampa gave the initiations of Manjushri Lion Speech and Namgyalma, whose practices are beneficial for increasing wisdom and long life respectively as aids to the buddhist path. For more photos, view the gallery here. For the second week, the focus was on vajrayana practice. With the encouragement of Karma Thinley Rinpoche, Lama Jampa Thaye taught Rinpoche‘s own commentary on Vajrayogini practice together with…
June 12, 2024 8:45 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
On Saturday 8 June, Sakya Buddhist Centre Bristol hosted a day of Buddhist teachings with Lama Jampa Thaye. The venue was the 6th floor of the Future Inn, with its lofty, bird’s eye view over the city. Over 100 people gathered for this joyous event, from across the UK and beyond. During this visit, Lama Jampa continued with part 9 of Sakya Pandita’s ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’. Over the course of the morning, we made further progress in the chapter on the vajrayana vows. In this section, Sakya Pandita covered topics such as the real meaning and practice of mahamudra meditation, as outlined in the source texts, the tantras, and communicated through the teachings and songs of great masters. He also emphasised the necessity of receiving vajrayana initiation, as through this, the appropriate connection is made with the relevant meditation deity and one has a basis for cultivating this through subsequent practice. Another vital point was on the nature of realisation and the qualities associated with this. In Tibet at that time, some said that whilst one may have true realisation, the qualities, such as being able to travel to many buddha realms, will not be displayed until after death. This would be similar to saying that whilst the sun is in the sky, the rays will show tomorrow! Such clarity on these points means that we don’t mistake temporary experiences for true realisation, we understand what’s needed for practice to work, and we will not be tricked by those who assert that they are enlightened when this is not the case. In short, we can travel the path to buddhahood with greater knowledge and confidence. In the afternoon, Lama Jampa bestowed the initiation of Green Tara. Green Tara is known as the mother of all buddhas, as she is…
January 17, 2024 2:16 pm
Published by Rachel Deeming
On 13 January, in a rather chilly Bristol, Lama Jampa Thaye gave his first teachings of 2024 to around 100 people gathered in the familiar surroundings of the Future Inn, with its great city views. Due to sponsorship by a generous donor, Sakya Buddhist Centre Bristol was able to keep facility fees at 2023 levels for this day of dharma, in the face of continuously rising costs, to make this as affordable as possible for those attending. In the morning, Lama Jampa continued teaching ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’, a work by the great 13th century master, Sakya Pandita. In this chapter, Sakya Pandita clears away confusion about the nature of the vows associated with the vajrayana, the swift vehicle that can lead to the wisdom, compassion and power of buddhahood in this very life. He cautions that whilst the vajrayana has many powerful methods that can transform our ordinary perception of the cycle of birth and death, this transformation needs to have actually taken place for us to be able to put it to the test, as in the examples of the great realised ones (mahasiddhas) of India such as Tilopa, Naropa and Birwapa. Sakya Pandita also explains in this section some of the differences between the common mahayana – the gradual path to buddhahood – and the vajrayana. Whilst both paths are motivated by the wish to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, the common mahayana sees enlightenment as something to gradually approach, through gathering merit and wisdom, by practice of the Six Perfections (giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, meditation, wisdom). This path is effective but takes many, many lifetimes; aeons in fact. In contrast, through quickening the seeds of buddhahood in us now, the process of initiation in vajrayana, along with subsequent practice, can bring about…
October 5, 2023 10:40 am
Published by Rachel Deeming
Last Saturday we welcomed Lama Jampa, family and fellow Buddhists to the Future Inn in Bristol for a day of Buddhist teachings. Amid the unseasonable warmth, around 100 people gathered from around the UK and beyond to listen to part 5 of Sakya Pandita’s master work, ‘Discriminating the 3 Vows’ and to receive the vajrayana initiation of Mahachakra Vajrapani. In this instalment of the text, Sakya Pandita describes how to clarify misunderstandings about the vow of the bodhisattva, the promise to become a buddha not for ourselves but for all beings. This aspiration arises through the recognition of our profound connection with others, through our common wish to avoid suffering and to experience happiness. In this chapter, Sakya Pandita covers such topics as the different lineages of the vow so we know how to take and maintain them properly, the different aspects of the vow – imbued with compassion and wisdom, and how to train to keep our promise alive. Introducing the morning’s teachings, Lama Jampa also commented on the role of this text for us as Buddhists in the West, receiving it outside of the traditional and structured setting of a monastic college. As beginners in the dharma, it may not yet be possible to understand all that is contained in the text, however by receiving it now, it will be there for us when we can most benefit from it. Hence, it is important to be flexible in receiving teachings, taking what we can from them now, and then coming back to them as we progress along the path. In the afternoon, Lama Jampa gave the initiation of Mahachakra Vajrapani, from the lineage of Marton Rinpoche. This buddha, the most powerful of all the forms of Vajrapani, is the embodiment of the wisdom of all the buddhas and…
August 22, 2023 10:08 am
Published by Rachel Deeming
News from our retreat centre in the Dordogne, France, Sakya Changlochen Ling. Two weeks of teachings and initiations from Lama Jampa Thaye, opened with a very special visit from His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche.
June 3, 2023 10:30 am
Published by Rachel Deeming
On Saturday 3 June, we welcomed Lama Jampa Thaye and family to Bristol for a glorious summer weekend of wisdom, blessings and joy. The first day opened with Part 4 of the great master Sakya Pandita’s ‘Discriminating the Three Vows’ at the usual venue of the Future Inn in the heart of the city. This work is taught in the monastic colleges within the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and in it Sakya Pandita skillfully points out the mistakes that can be made by having a simplistic view of such topics as karma. With great kindness and clarity, he gives a sophisticated and nuanced view of how to conduct ourselves as a Buddhist and why, freeing us from the burden of rigidly following rules that aren’t required or aligned with what the Buddha intended. In the afternoon, Lama Jampa gave the initiation of the deity Manjushri Arapatsana, renowned for helping Buddhists to increase wisdom and thus travel more swiftly along the path. He also gave the reading transmission for this deity’s practice by Sakya Pandita, who was himself seen as the embodiment of Manjushri. For Sunday’s programme of activity, the focus shifted to Sakya Buddhist Centre Bristol’s vibrant shrine room. The morning began with prayers to Chenrezik to help the cultivation of compassion, followed by a question and answer session on the dharma path. Questions ranged from whether Buddhists should take holidays (a resounding yes!), to how to understand experiences that arise in meditation and how to approach the Buddhist view of non-self. The packed shrine room was full of joyful attention and laughter as we all heard good advice on how to bring study and practice into all of our everyday life, along with realising that whilst meditators may look calm, a volcano may be simmering or even…
May 9, 2023 12:05 am
Published by Rachel Deeming
Each summer, our European retreat Centre, Sakya Changlochen Ling, hosts a college of studies (Tib. shedra) by the Buddhist meditation master and scholar, Lama Jampa Thaye. Ahead of this major event, which is attended by over 100 Buddhists from a range of countries, the Centre needs to be brought out of its winter sleep and into the sunlight and fresh air of a new year. Fortunately, this spring, a number of our community gathered to help, cleaning, tidying and taking care of the Centre’s grounds, with its numerous flowers and trees, along with putting up some splendid new prayer flags. Happily, all this activity coincided with Lama Jampa’s recent time in France, during which he visited Sakya Changlochen Ling a few times. Students there were delighted to spend some time with Lama Jampa and Dechen Dolma, not only saying Green Tara and Chenrezik prayers together and viewing the planned site for our stupa, but also sharing meals and conversations too. Garlanded with blessings, we look forward to Lama Jampa’s return to Changlochen this summer. For more pictures, please visit the gallery here.
