The Dechen Dharma Community

In 1988, Karma Thinley Rinpoche bestowed the name 'Dechen' on the network of dharma groups and centres in the UK and Europe that had been founded in his name by Lama Jampa Thaye.  The word 'Dechen', Tibetan for 'Great Bliss', came from a dream Rinpoche had recently had in which he spontaneously composed a poem, the first line of which was, 'Great bliss is the antidote to laziness.'

Great bliss, dechen, is one of the accomplishments that derives from successful spiritual practice, the ultimate goal of which is complete enlightenment, the recognition of the emptiness all phenomena. The union of these two, great bliss and emptiness, is the fruition of the spiritual practices of vajrayana, the highest of all Lord Buddha's teachings. The vajrayana teachings, which derive from the tantras, have been preserved primarily by the four extant Tibetan lineages of Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma and Gelug. The 'Shri Dechen Dharma Community' is directly connected with two of these - the Kagyu and Sakya.

Dechen is committed to a traditional approach to Buddhism, transmitting and practising the teachings in the same way as all the great Buddhist masters of India and Tibet have done since the time of the Buddha himself, unadulterated and pure. Yet in accordance with the injunctions of those same masters, a traditional approach must be combined with intelligence, questioning and analysing the teachings in great depth, in order for them to be efficacious.

To accomplish this, students of the Buddha's teachings in Dechen train through a direct relationship with a lama, a spiritual teacher who has completely mastered the Buddhist path and so is able to guide others along it. Students are also able to attend short or extensive public teachings and initiations in order to receive a comprehensive education in the dharma. Regular introductory classes are run throughout Dechen for all who are interested in the Buddhist teachings of Kagyu or Sakya.

The teachers of Dechen are accomplished in both the Kagyu and Sakya lineages, yet they always ensure that groups and individuals train properly in the Buddhist path by not mixing these different systems together, but focussing clearly on only one of either Kagyu or Sakya, according to one's own preferences and needs. All groups and centres also hold regular study groups, meditation sessions and prayer rituals of the Sakya and Kagyu traditions.

This website contains details of all aspects of the Shri Dechen Dharma Community under the following sections on the green menu bar at the top of each page:

• Dechen - (this section) about the Shri Dechen Dharma Community
• Centres - Dechen centres and groups in and outside of the UK
• Events - major forthcoming events for the current year
• Teachers - short biographies of the key lamas in Dechen
• Meditation - an introduction to the practice of meditation in Dechen
• Shop - books and prayers texts ('sadhanas')
• Articles - various short texts on Kagyu and Sakya topics

For more about the role of the lama and receiving teachings:

• Breath of the Dakinis: Some Notes on Receiving Teachings

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