Dechen is an international association of Sakya and Karma Kagyu Buddhist centres founded by Lama Jampa Thaye under the spiritual authority of Karma Thinley Rinpoche.
Dechen is a Tibetan word, meaning 'great bliss', an experience that arises from spiritual practice. The name was given to the organisation by Karma Thinley Rinpoche.
The Sakya tradition is known as the 'owner of all the Buddha's teachings' due to the vast extent of teachings and practices it has preserved in its long history.
The head of the Sakya school is known as Sakya Trizin, meaning throneholder of Sakya.
The current Sakya Trizin is the forty-first in the line of Sakya throne-holders. He has visited and given teachings at Dechen centres many times.
Lama Jampa Thaye has been a student of H.H. Sakya Trizin and Karma Thinley Rinpoche for almost 40 years, and received his authority as a vajrayana teacher from them.
