Thinley Norbu
Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche (1931-2011) (Wylie: gdung sras ’phrin las nor bu), was a major modern teacher in the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and patron of the Vajrayana Foundation. He was the eldest son of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, the former head of the Nyingma lineages, and also the father of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. His association with the Dudjom Lineage is a long one: he is held to be the incarnation of Tulku Drime Oser, who was one of seven sons of Dudjom Lingpa (sGas-gter bDud-‘joms Gling-pa Khrag-‘thung Nus-ldan rDorje 1835-1904). He also was considered to be an emanation of Longchen Rabjam, the great 14th century Nyingma scholar and siddha who composed the Seven Treasuries.
Biography
In his youth in Tibet he studied for 9 years at Mindrolling Monastery, one of the six major monasteries of the Nyingma school in Tibet. Having fled Tibet, he spent some time in Bhutan, where his son was born, and in his later years he divided his time between the United States and Nepal.
Works
During his exile in the West he wrote a number of books including:
- O-rgyan-ʼjigs-med-chos-kyi-dbaṅ-po (Patrul Rinpoche) (1984 (1989)) (in English and Tibetan). Thog mthaʼ bar gsum du dge baʼi gtam lta sgom spyod gsun ñams len dam paʼi sñiṅ not źes bya ba bźugs so [The practice of the essence of the sublime heart jewel, view, meditation and action, the propitious speech from the beginning, middle and end]. Trans. Thinley Norbu. New York, NY: Jewel Pub. House
- Thinley Norbu (1985). The small golden key to the treasure of the various essential necessities of general and extraordinary Buddhist Dharma. Trans. Lisa Anderson (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Jewel Publishing House. p. 126.
- — (1982). Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis. p. 164.
- — (1992). White Sail: Crossing the Waves of Ocean Mind to the Serene Continent of the Triple Gems. Boston: Shambhala. p. 226
- — (1997). Welcoming Flowers from Across the Cleansed Threshold of Hope: an answer to the Pope's criticism of Buddhism. New York, NY: Jewel Pub. House. p. (a response to John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) (1994). Vittorio Messori. ed. Varcare la soglia della speranza [Crossing the Threshold of Hope]. Trans. Jenny McPhee and Martha McPhee. New York, NY: Knopf. pp. 79–90)
- —; Bdud-ʼjoms-gliṅ-pa, Gter-ston (Terton Dudjom Lingpa) (2006 (2008)). A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar. Boston, MA: Shambhala. p. 335.
