Lama Jampa Thaye
[2] Thaye was born into a Catholic family in 1952 in Manchester, England and met his first spiritual teacher, Karma Thinley Rinpoche, at the age of 20 in 1973.Thaye is somewhat unusual in that he has received authority to give teachings from both the Sakya and Karma Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, receiving authority to teach from both Karma Thinley Rinpoche and Sakya Trizin[4] due to his contemplative and scholarly training.Thaye is spiritual director of a network of dharma centres, founded under the authority of Karma Thinley Rinpoche, which bear the name "Dechen" (Tibetan for 'Great Bliss').[6] Sakya Trizin commented: "I would like to commend Lama Jampa Thaye for the unflagging enthusiasm and effort that he has devoted to the noble cause of making the dharma available to all those who have an interest in it, and encourage him to continue his good works.He stresses the established historical approach to Vajrayana practice so as to sustain the authentic, continuing transmission of its intellectual and experiential aspects.