(1932-2009)
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche is the 11th Throneholder of The Palyul Lineage of Nyingma. He is considered one of the foremost masters of the Buddhist tradition of Tibet. Throughout the Buddhist community he is respected for his vast knowledge and accomplishment and for the integrity and strength with which he upholds the Buddhist teachings.
Penor Rinpoche was born in 1932, the year of the Water Monkey, in the Powo region of Kham, East Tibet. Khenpo Ngaga foresaw exceptional destiny for the new incarnation. In 1936, the year of the Fire Mouse, the young Penor Rinpoche was invited to the Palyul monastery where he took refuge with the great and learned Khenpo. Khenpo Ngaga performed the traditional hair cutting ceremony and gave him the name Dhongag Shedrup Tenzin. Khenpo Ngaga then granted him the long life empowerment of Amitayus and composed the long-life prayer which is still chanted daily by thousands of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche's followers all over the world.
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was formally enthroned by his master Thubten Chökyi Dawa (1894-1959) the second Choktrul Rinpoche, and Karma Thekchok Nyingpo (1908-1958) the fourth Karma Kuchen Rinpoche. In time, Penor Rinpoche would become the eleventh throne holder of Palyul Monastery with its more than four hundred branch monasteries. He spent many years at Palyul, studying and receiving teachings from numerous masters and scholars, including Karma Kuchen, the tenth throneholder, who carefully prepared him as his successor.
In 1963, His Holiness settled in Bylakuppe in South India and began the daunting project of establishing Namdroling Monastery under extremely harsh conditions. Today, Namdroling houses around 5000 monks and 500 nuns and is one of the thriving centers of excellence for Tibetan culture and religious training. The complex consists of a school, a college for Higher Buddhist Studies, a retreat centre, a nunnery, a hospital and a home for the elderly. His Holiness is also actively involved in helping local Indians through education and health care. In addition, His Holiness has managed to rebuild the monasteries in Tibet and reintroduced Buddhist study and practice. Simultaneously he has set up a network of Palyul centers in other parts of the world.
His Holiness is considered the reincarnation of Vajrapani and living embodiment of Vimalamitra, who brought the Dzogchen teachings to Tibet. One of the few prominent masters in the Nyingma tradition, His Holiness is renowned as both a scholar and as a leading figure in meditation by hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide. Throughout the Tibetan communities, His Holiness renowned for his personal integrity, will power, determination and magnanimity in propagating the teachings of the Buddha. His Holiness served as the Supreme Head of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism for over ten years.
As always, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche works tirelessly for the dissemination of Buddhism in all parts of the world. He has founded Dharma centers in the USA, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
The 11th Throneholder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche entered the stage of Thugdam, the final stage of meditation, as of 8:20 PM on Friday, March 27, 2009, at the Namdroling Monastery in Bylakuppe, South India.
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche remained in thugdam for almost eight days until Friday, April 3, 2009. Public display of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s body and receiving blessings will be allowed in the ground floor of Zangdog Palri Temple of Namdroling Monastery on 9th April 2009 (Full moon day of the second Tibetan month).
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche's Holy Body ("Kudung") is still in Zangdokpalri Temple. Every day His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche leads the sangha of Tulkus, Khenpos, Lopons, Lamas, monks, and nuns in practices that include Shitro (the Hundred Deities practice), Vajrasattva, Offering to the Guru, among others.
The Pujas at Namdroling will continue for 49 days from the time of His Holiness' Mahaparinirvana, through to 22 May 2009.
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche is one of the last greatest Master upholding the complete lineage and realization of the Nyingma or Ancient Tradition. His Holiness visible achievements are too numerous to list fully, not to mention the full spectrum of his hidden activities for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Official statements regarding parinirvana of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche
Prayers for the Swift Rebirth of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche
Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche was born in 1936, at Riphu, a place in Dege Jomda, in the Kham Province of Tibet. When he was eight, he studied reading and writing Tibetan from his uncle Lama Choesang while herding cattle. At fourteen, he went to Lhasa and studied under masters and scholars of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
In 1953, Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche bestowed novice vows upon him. In 1959, he fled from Tibet to India. He met H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, from whom he received most of his teachings. On various occasions, he has received many teachings and oral transmission from H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and H.H. Penor Rinpoche. In 1968, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche invited him to come Namdroling to teach the Dharma. Thought at that time, the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute was not established, Khenchen spent a few years teaching the traditional common and uncommon fields of study to small monks of the monastery.
Since the establishment of the Institute in 1978 until nowadays, Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche has been teaching in this institute out of compassion and kindness to the students. During his tenure, he has whole heartedly rendered his priceless service without thought of eight worldly concerns and has stayed in the institute all these years, forbearing all hardships for the preservation and dissemination of Buddha’s teaching in general and the Nyingma doctrine in particular.
The teachings that he has dispensed include the common traditional sciences of Tibetan grammar, spelling and poetry. Among the uncommon traditional studies, he has taught many teachings that illustrate the distinct view, meditation, conduct, and fruition of the Nyingma Lineage.
For the benefit of future generations, he has composed many books on Buddhist philosophy. All in all, he has taken the responsibility to manage the institute with great compassion to this day. Hence his kindness is unfathomable.
Venerable Khen Rinpoche Pema Choephel joined Palyul Monastery at the age of eight at his own will and took his vows of refuge from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. From His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche also received teachings on the Nyintig Great Perfection Practices of Trekchod and Togyal. Khen Rinpoche received many profound transmissions from His Holiness
Penor Rinpoche, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche and many other great Tibetan masters. Khen Rinpoche has thoroughly studied, researched and mastered the Tibetan Studies that cover the vast and profound teachings of Lord Buddha (both Sutra and Tantra), as well as the common studies of Tibetan language, poetry, and Tibet's temporal and religious history. Khen Rinpoche joined Ngagyur Nyingma Institute and completed his studies, having mastered the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana
philosophies. He is a highly qualified Buddhist scholar and senior professor of the Nyingma Institute, Mysore in South India. Upon the attainment of these, Khen Rinpoche went to Shechen Monastery and conducted Buddhist teachings over a period of four years. In a poem written by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he prophesied that Khen Rinpoche would be of great benefit to sentient beings everywhere and he wrote his long-life prayer.
With the blessings of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche has been teaching and spreading Buddhism in many countries. These include India, Bhutan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, and European Countries such as Greece, France, Germany, England and Bulgaria. He is the founder and the spiritual director of the Palyul Centre UK and the German Palyul Centre.
Khen Rinpoche Pema Choepel is based in Palyul Center UK.
Letter from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche - en
Letter from HH Penor Rinpoche - tib
Khen Rinpoche Long Life Prayer
A Letter from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
Lama Dawa Norbu received a monastic education during many years at Tibetan traditional monastery. He has long-term experience in Buddhist ceremonies and traditional Tibetan religious practice, along with a humble character and strict discipline. He received many teachings from numerous Tibetan masters, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.
Presently Lama Dawa Norbu is the main assistant of Khen Rinpoche Pema Choephel.
He guides meditation sessions and leads on prayers and pujas, along with all the activities at Palyul Centre UK. With the blessings of Khen Rinpoche, Lama Dawa offers kind support of the Palyul Sangha in UK, Germany and Bulgaria.
