River of Memory

The memories, dreams and reflections of a modern lama born in the West who became heir to the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

River of Memory: Dharma Chronicles tells the remarkable story of the scholar and meditation master Lama Jampa Thaye, one of the first fully authorised masters of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition born and brought up in the West.

Lama Jampa recounts his beginnings as a boy born in a Catholic family in the northwest of England, from his first encounters with Buddhism and glimpses of the nature of reality, to receiving private teachings from some of the greatest Tibetan masters of the 20th century. He ultimately became an authorised master of the Sakya and Karma Kagyu Traditions, establishing Buddhist centres and groups around the world and working tirelessly to spread the life-changing teachings of the Buddha to thousands of students worldwide.

River of Memory provides an extraordinary series of snapshots of the time for Buddhism in the West, chronicling the first visits of Tibetan masters in the late twentieth century. It gives a vivid picture of the condition of Buddhism in the modern world, whether in North America, Europe, or Asia, and reflects on the ongoing interaction of Buddhism and Western culture. Accounts such as this are extremely important to the preservation of the purity of the Buddhist tradition, as they enable students to verify the authenticity of a teacher's qualifications and so develop confidence.