Our Story
Dechen is an international Buddhist organisation dedicated to preserving and transmitting the profound teachings of the Sakya and Karma Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
For over fifty years, guided by Lama Jampa Thaye, we have offered practical ways to encounter the Dharma through study, meditation, and regular pujas such as Chenrezik. Our centres and groups host classes, courses, retreats, and major teaching events with lineage masters, providing direct access to authentic transmissions. With communities across the UK, Europe, and the Americas, Dechen offers a clear and accessible path for those seeking genuine Buddhist wisdom.
Our Principal Teacher
Lama Jampa Thaye
Lama Jampa Thaye is a Buddhist teacher and author who has studied under His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen and Karma Thinley Rinpoche since 1973. Lama Jampa Thaye has spent many years sharing the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism through study, practice, and the establishment of the Dechen network of centres.
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Born in England in 1952, Lama Jampa Thaye has studied and practised Tibetan Buddhism since 1973 under the guidance of His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen and Karma Thinley Rinpoche. He has also received teachings from over thirty masters, including His Holiness Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje.
With Karma Thinley Rinpoche’s guidance, Lama Jampa completed major retreats and was appointed his dharma regent in 1977. In 1988, after years of study and practice, he was authorised to teach and give Vajrayana initiations. At his teachers’ request, he founded the Dechen network of Buddhist centres, which now includes groups across Europe, the Americas, and beyond.
Lama Jampa is the author of several books, including Rain of Clarity and Patterns in Emptiness, and has taught internationally for many years, presenting the Buddhist tradition in a clear and accessible way while maintaining strong ties with the Kagyu and Sakya lineages.
Today, he continues to give teachings and initiations worldwide, supporting students in their study and practice of Buddhism.
Our Traditions
The Sakya Tradition
The Sakya tradition, known as the holder of all the Buddha’seachings, has safeguarded a vast treasury of wisdom and practice for nearly a thousand years.
Founded in 1073 by Könchok Gyalpo of the Khön lineage, the tradition has remained within the same sacred family, an unbroken stream of devotion and realisation. Its distinctive form was shaped by the Five Great Masters—Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Sonam Tsemo, Drakpa Gyaltsen, Sakya Pandita, and Chogyal Phakpa, teacher of Kublai Khan. Among them, Sakya Pandita became renowned for preserving the purity and efficacy of the dharma.
Through the centuries, countless practitioners have attained profound realisation within this lineage, which continues today under the guidance of the present Sakya Trizin.
The Karma Kagyu Tradition
The Karma Kagyu lineage, renowned for its profound meditation practices, traces its roots to the Indian masters Tilopa and Naropa in the 10th century. In Tibet, it took shape in the 12th century through Gampopa, who combined the gradual path teachings of the Kadam tradition—originating with Atisha—with the profound Mahamudra instructions passed down from Tilopa and Naropa.
From this union of the Kadam lamrim, with its structured approach to mind training, and the direct, experiential path of Mahamudra arose a complete system of practice. Gampopa’s disciple, Dusum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa, embodied this integration, receiving the full transmissions and attaining realization. His successor, Karma Pakshi, became the first recognized reincarnated lama of Tibet, founding the unbroken line of Karmapas that continues today.
The Karma Kagyu tradition thus carries both the systematic, step-by-step guidance of the Kadam masters and the liberating vision of Mahamudra, offering practitioners a path that is both practical and profound
Our Visiting Teachers
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![A Buddhist monk seated on an ornate, colorful throne with intricate floral designs, wearing a traditional multicolored turban, yellow shirt, maroon robe, and glasses, set against a bright yellow background.]()
His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche
41st Sakya Trizin
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![A young monk in traditional maroon and yellow robes sitting at a decorated table, with a colorful ornate backdrop featuring floral patterns and mythical creatures.]()
His Holiness Thinley Thaye Dorje
17th Karmapa
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![Man dressed in traditional Thai royal attire, seated on an ornate throne with colorful decorations and intricate patterns.]()
His Holiness Ratna Vajra Rinpoche
42nd Sakya Trizin
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![A smiling Buddhist monk wearing yellow robes with a maroon shawl, sitting in front of a colorful religious mural depicting deities and celestial beings with clouds and a rainbow.]()
His Eminence Shamar Rinpoche
14th Shamarpa
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![A man dressed in traditional Tibetan Buddhist monk attire, sitting on a decorated cushion with a decorative gold and red backdrop behind him, holding a small ornate object.]()
His Holiness Gyana Vajra Rinpoche
43rd Sakya Trizin
Our Founders
The first Dechen centre was established in 1975 by Karma Thinley Rinpoche and Lama Jampa Thaye.
Karma Thinley Rinpoche
Karma Thinley Rinpoche (b. 1931) is a highly respected master of the Sakya and Kagyu traditions, recognised in childhood as the reincarnation of Biru Sharyak Lama Kunrik.A teacher, poet, artist, and historian, he has guided students worldwide for over fifty years, founding centres in Canada, the U.S.A., New Zealand, and the U.K. He continues to oversee his monastic projects in Nepal and Nangchen, while inspiring practitioners with his profound learning and realisation.
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Karma Thinley Rinpoche, born in 1931 in Nangchen, Eastern Tibet, is a revered master of both the Sakya and Kagyu traditions. Recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the great Biru Sharyak Lama Kunrik, Rinpoche went on to study with some of the most eminent teachers of Tibet, including H.H. the 16th Karmapa, who confirmed him as the fourth Karma Thinleypa.
After leaving Tibet in 1959, Rinpoche became a guiding presence for Tibetan refugees and later established centres in Canada, the U.S.A., New Zealand, and the U.K. He is known for transmitting the profound teachings of Mahamudra and Sakya Lamdre to hundreds of devoted students worldwide.
In addition to his vast learning and meditation experience, Rinpoche is an accomplished poet, artist, and historian, author of The History of the Sixteen Karmapas. Today he continues to guide his students and oversee his monastic projects in Nepal and Nangchen.
Receive the Living Transmission
Join us at upcoming events to connect with this living tradition.In Tibetan Buddhism, the blessings of the lineage are passed from teacher to student through direct encounter. By attending teachings and initiations at Dechen events you receive the authentic transmission of the Sakya and Karma Kagyu traditions, sustaining an unbroken chain of wisdom and practice that stretches back to the great masters of India and Tibet.