With the passing of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, the world has lost another great Lama. Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was considered one of the greatest mahasiddhas of our time. Rinpoche was very close to my own root teacher, His Holiness Kyabje Drubwang Penor Rinpoche. In fact, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche respected Thinley Norbu Rinpoche so much that he was one of the very few Lamas for whom His Holiness would stand up to greet when Rinpoche entered the room.
I had the tremendous blessing to visit Rinpoche a number of times, and each time he had very beautiful advice for me. Thinley Norbu Rinpoche told me that I could always come and practice with him, particularly if my life force was weak. I had always intended to go, and wish I had. But in 1991 Rinpoche came to pay a surprise visit to my center, Kunzang Palyul Choling in Maryland, and gave a spontaneous teaching to the students that were there, and we were able to meet again. Rinpoche was a sublime writer. Every book he has written is pure nectar.
Yesterday morning, I woke thinking of Rinpoche, and then learned of his passing. I am full of grief on behalf of sentient beings for the loss of Rinpoche.
Ahkon Lhamo
Thinley Norbu Rinpoche wrote a number of books, all of which are sublime. They include:
The Small Golden Key – To the Treasure of the Various Essential Necessities of General and Extraordinary Buddhist Dharma
Magic Dance – the Display of the Self-nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis
White Sail – Crossing the Waves of Ocean Mind to the Serene Continent of the Triple Gems
Practice of the Essence of the Sublime Heart Jewel, the Propitious Speech from the Beginning, Middle and End by Patrul Rinpoche (Translation)
Welcoming Flowers From Across The Cleansed Threshold Of Hope
A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar
The Great Image – The Life Story of Vairochana the Translator
Gypsy GossiP
A Brief History of a Himalayan
Echoes
Sunlight Speech that Dispels the Darkness of Doubt
To read more about Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, please visit Thinley Norbu – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jetsunma
Thankyou very much for sharing all this. Only just heard of Rinpoche’s passing – have his picture on my wall and used to chant his long-life prayer almost every day. I read and reread his extraordinary sparkling books, but never met Rinpoche. I am sorry you are sad. While Googling fruitlessly for a copy of Rinpoche’s book “Gypsy Gossip” long out-of-print, I came across your post and am very grateful to you. I still feel shocked – it’s a profound change – even though I ‘knew’ it must happen.
Did you see at Chronicles Project website Rinpoche’s beautiful words that ‘love inconspicuously connects us to the ones we love with continuous positive energy’ and so on? I always so appreciated his idiosyncratic, inventive, incomparable and inspired use of the English language.
Lots of love to you at this time. I always wished you might come to England, and will use this opportunity to invite you – please do come to London sometime!
I met Kyabje Penor Rinpoche several times in London – not personally, but received teachings and blessings – I miss him too, and pray for his rebirth using the prayer Thinley Norbu Rinpoche wrote, I believe.
Please do not get the impression that I am a dharma practicioner – alas I am just some sort of dharma groupie, who values these connections as highly as I can, and am enormously honoured and grateful to have even heard of such beings and to have made some kind of a connection with them. May we appreciate our good fortune.
My very best wishes
Jennie
Precious Jetsunma
Thank you for sharing your grief with us at the loss of a great Lama. I remember when you introduced many of us to Rinpoche’s breathtaking book, ‘Magic Dance’,at the Retreat you graciously offered us at Dakini Valley over a decade ago. I bought that book afterwards, and have read it and re-read parts of it over and over. Rinpoche’s language dances with wisdom, joy and with the mesmerising tease that each passage contains layers and layers of meaning that my heart recognises but which is beyond my ordinary comprehension.
I had the great honour to be at Palyul Retreat on two occasions when Thinley Norbu Rinpoche came to visit HH Penor Rinpoche. I will never forget his open and honest humility, and the spontaneous teaching he gave on Guru Yoga. And the extraordinary and humbling display of respect they each showed to the other. It was a reminder that Great Lama’s offer us profound Teachings with every move and moment they share with us.
I pray for Rinpoche’s swift rebirth, and for your long life and excellent health. The world cannot afford to lose another Great, pure Lama, and I beseech you to stay.
My heart grieves for you, my precious Lama; so much suffering you have taken on, on our behalf, on behalf of all sentient beings. I have been aware that Thinley Norbu Rinpoche wrote the prayer for the swift rebirth of HH Penor Rinpoche. I will seek out and read the books which this great Lama gave as Dharma gifts to the world, and I will seek out the nectar of Dharma truth and wisdom in these precious texts, and apply it to my practice as best I can.
In your words, Precious Lama …
You are my Lama, I am unshaken
This is the method, I am unbroken
This is the result, I am going
My heart swells with love for you Jetsunma. My eyes fill with tears. Remain with us, remain with us, remain with us.
May all obstacles be dissolved through the heartfelt devotion of your students.
Thank you Jetsunma,
I grieve for the loss of this most precious, sublime Lama who opened my body,speech and mind with his pure written offerings. I never met him in this lifetime. To quote from ‘Magic Dance’- Thinley Norbu has left this “karmic body, our inner wisdom garuda flies in the Dharmakaya sky.” So it is. May I meet you in the next life. Thank you precious Lama for bringing the Magic Dance to us all.