Thupten Jigme Norbu
Encyclopedia
Taktser Rinpoche
Taktser Rinpoche was a Tibetan lama. Thupten Jigme Norbu, the brother of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was recognized in Tibetan Buddhism as his reincarnation....
, was a Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, civil rights activist and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Tibetan studies and is the eldest brother of the fourteenth Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Tenzin Gyatso. He was one of the first high-profile Tibetans to go into exile and was the first Tibetan to settle in the United States
Tibetan American
The history of Tibetan-Americans in the United States is relatively short, as the United States had limited contact or involvement with Tibet before World War II expanded to the Pacific.Tibetans began to immigrate to the United States in the late 1950s...
.
Early life
Thubten Jigme Norbu was born in 1922 in the small, mountain village of Tengtser in the Amdo CountyAmdo County
Amdo County. is a small county within the Nagchu Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region.Its capital is Pagnag, located at 32°15'50" North, 91°40'50" East. Pagnag has a station on the new railway from Golmud to Lhasa. There is a major rail depot 3 km west of the town....
of Eastern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. At the age of three, he was recognized by the Dalai Lama
Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama
Thubten Gyatso was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet.During 1878 he was recognized as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He was escorted to Lhasa and given his pre-novice vows by the Panchen Lama, Tenpai Wangchuk, and named "Ngawang Lobsang Thupten Gyatso Jigdral Chokley Namgyal"...
as the 24th incarnation of Taktser Rinpoche
Taktser Rinpoche
Taktser Rinpoche was a Tibetan lama. Thupten Jigme Norbu, the brother of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was recognized in Tibetan Buddhism as his reincarnation....
. At the age of eight, he was taken to Kumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa...
in Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
, the birthplace of Lama Tsong Khapa who is the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Historically, Kumbum
Kumbum
A Kumbum is a multi-storied aggregate of Buddhist chapels in Tibet. It forms part of Palcho Monastery.The first Kumbum was founded in the fire-sheep year 1427 by a Gyantse prince. It has nine lhakangs or levels, is 35 metres high surmounted by a golden dome, and contains 77 chapels which line...
was also the frequent residence of previous Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
s. At Kumbum, Norbu began his training as a monk. At the age of 27, he was selected to serve as the abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Kumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa...
. At this time, Kumbum was one of the largest monasteries in Eastern Tibet.
Kumbum, however was one of the first areas to be invaded by the army of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC). The PRC held Norbu under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in the monastery, sleeping in his room and following him 24 hours a day. The PRC demanded that he travel to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, denounce the Tibetan government, and denounce his younger brother the Dalai Lama, who was then about 15 years old. Norbu pretended to agree with the PRC's demands and, as a result, was able to reach Lhasa to warn his brother of the seriousness of the Chinese invasion.
In exile 1950-2008
After leaving Tibet, Norbu worked continually for Tibet and the Tibetans in exile. He served as the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile
Central Tibetan Administration
The Central Tibetan Administration , is an organisation based in India with the stated goals of "rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet". It was established by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 shortly after his exile from Tibet...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He also served as Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
. He wrote a number of books, including, in 1959, his autobiography, Tibet Is My Country as told to Heinrich Harrer
Heinrich Harrer
Heinrich Harrer was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, and author.He is best known for his books Seven Years in Tibet and The White Spider .-Athletics:...
and in 1968 Tibet: Its History, Religion and People, with Colin Turnbull
Colin Turnbull
Colin Macmillan Turnbull was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books The Forest People and The Mountain People , and one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.-Early life:Turnbull was born in London and...
. During the years, Norbu frequently lectured about the Tibetan situation at seminars throughout the world.
In 1979, Rinpoche founded the Tibetan Cultural Center (TCC) in Bloomington, a center devoted to preserving Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...
and religion. In 1989, Colin Turnbull came and participated in the building of Tibetan Cultural Center with him. The facility, renamed the Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (or TMBCC) in 2006, has a Cultural Building, housing Tibetan works of art such as a Medicine Buddha
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
sand mandala
Sand mandala
The Sand Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand...
, and Tibetan butter sculptures. The Cultural Building also has a library of Tibetan-related works and a gift shop where visitors may purchase articles made by Tibetan refugees in exile.
His brother the Dalai Lama has visited the TMBCC on five separate occasions. In 1987, he dedicated the Changchub Chorten; in 1996 the Dalai Lama consecrated the cornerstone of the Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple; in 1999, he was at the Center for 12 days when he gave the Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
Initiation for World Peace and Harmony for the Kalachakra stupa
Kalachakra stupa
In Buddhism, a Kalachakra stupa is a stupa whose symbolism is not connected to events in the Buddha's life, but instead to the symbolism of the Kalachakra Tantra, created to protect against negative energies...
; in 2003, the Dalai Lama dedicated the Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple in an interfaith ceremony; in 2007 he dedicated a new arch at the temple as well as holding a series of classes over six days.
Independence walks
In 1995, Norbu co-founded the International Tibet Independence MovementInternational Tibet Independence Movement
The Tibetan independence movement is a movement for the independence of the lands where Tibetan people live and the political separation of those lands from the People's Republic of China. It is principally led by the Tibetan diaspora in countries like India and the United States, and by...
(ITIM). He has led three walks for Tibet's independence. In 1995, he led a week-long walk 80 miles from Bloomington, Indiana to Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. In 1996, this was followed by a 300-mile, 45 day walk from the PRC embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to the United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
surrounded by New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The following year, he led a 600-mile walk from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to New York City, beginning on March 10 (Tibetan Uprising Day
Tibetan Uprising Day
Tibetan Uprising Day, observed on March 10, commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet...
) and ending June 14 (Flag Day
Flag Day
A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag , or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag....
). In 1998, ITIM walked for independence starting in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and ending in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. In 2000, one arm of ITIM walked from San Francisco and another from San Diego. The two branches met in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to greet the Dalai Lama who was giving a teaching and empowerment at Thupten Dhargye Ling.
Life in the US
Norbu lived at the Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center with his wife Kunyang. They have three sons, Lhundrup, Kunga and Jigme Norbu, all born in New York. In late 2002, Norbu suffered a series of strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s and became an invalid
Invalid
Invalid may refer to:* Patient, a sick person* A person with a disability* .invalid, a top-level Internet domain not intended for real useAs the opposite of valid:* Validity, in logic, true premises cannot lead to a false conclusion...
. In 2005, the Dalai Lama appointed Arjia Rinpoche
Arjia Rinpoche
8th Agya Hotogtu is one of the most prominent Buddhist teachers and lamas to have left Tibet. At age two, Arjia Rinpoche was recognized by the 10th Panchen Lama as the 20th Arjia Danpei Gyaltsen, the reincarnation of Lama Tsong Khapa's father, Lumbum Ghe, the throne holder and abbot of Kumbum...
, another former abbot of Kumbum Monastery, to take over the directorship of the Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. Norbu remained until his death part of the daily life of the TMBCC where he was acclaimed as the founder of the facility and the foremost proponent in the world for the recognition and preservation of the culture of Tibet.
Norbu died at the age of 86 on September 5, 2008 at his home in Indiana in the United States having been ill for several years. His body was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
in a traditional Buddhist ceremony. His youngest son, Jigme, died at the age of 45 on February 14, 2011 while carrying on his father's work. He was hit by a car in Florida during a walk to promote Tibetan independence and raise awareness of Tibet.
Writings
- Tibet Is My Country is his autobiography dictated to Heinrich Harrer in 1959, and updated with a new essay in 1987 (ISBN 0861710452) and 2006 (ISBN 1425488587)
- Tibet: Its History, Religion and People, co-written with Colin TurnbullColin TurnbullColin Macmillan Turnbull was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books The Forest People and The Mountain People , and one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.-Early life:Turnbull was born in London and...
in 1968 (ISBN 0671205595) - Tibet: The Issue Is Independence - Tibetans-in-Exile Address the Key Tibetan Issue the World Avoids is an essay collection from 1994 by Tibetans in the diaspora (mainly Tibetan AmericanTibetan AmericanThe history of Tibetan-Americans in the United States is relatively short, as the United States had limited contact or involvement with Tibet before World War II expanded to the Pacific.Tibetans began to immigrate to the United States in the late 1950s...
s) and features an introduction by Norbu (ISBN 0938077759) - Norbu and Robert B. Ekvall provided the first English translation of the Tibetan play originally authored by the fifth Panchen LamaPanchen LamaThe Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
Lobsang YesheLobsang YesheLobsang Yeshe was the 5th Panchen Lama of Tibet.He was born of a well-known and noble family in the province of Tsang. His father's name was De-chhen-gyalpo and his mother's Serab-Drolma...
Younger Brother Don Yod in 1969.
External links
- Biography
- Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center
- Taktser Rinpoche, eldest brother of the Dalai Lama, passes away
- Reminiscences of Thubten Jigme Norbu by Jamyang NorbuJamyang NorbuJamyang Norbu is a Tibetan political activist and writer, currently living in the United States, having previously lived for over 40 years as a Tibetan exile in India.-Biography:...
- The Independent: Thubten Jigme Norbu: Activist and Dalai Lama's brother