Below is the notification I received of His Holiness Pema Norbu (Penor) Rinpoche passing. While I do not consider myself a Buddhist I did have the pleasure of meeting him many years ago in Bylakuppe, India. There was something special about him, and if nothing else he appeared to me as a kind person and holy man.

This is to formally announce that 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.

Earlier, at noon, His Holiness received offerings from many of the highest Nyingma Tulkus, Khenpos, and Lamas who had assembled to pay homage to him. Rinpoche left Columbia Asia Hospital at 3:30 PM with the help of the Bhutanese Government who provided an Indian police escort. He reached Palyul Namdroling at 6:40 PM and remained on his bed at the residence. Tulkus, Khenpos and Lamas did aspiration prayers together with His Holiness until 8:20 PM. At that time Rinpoche looked around and then closed his eyes and went into meditation.

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From Wikipedia: The Kingdom of Mysore was ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty from 1399 until the independence of India in 1947 and the subsequent dissolution of monarchy by the Indian constitution. The Wodeyar kings built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century, but this palace was partially damaged by a lightning strike in 1638. It was repaired and expanded, but fell into neglect by the late 18th century. It was demolished in 1793, and a new palace was built in its place in 1803. This palace was destroyed in a fire in 1897 during the wedding of Princess Jayalakshmanni.

The Queen-Regent of Mysore at the time, Kempananjammanni Vanivilasa Sanndihana, commissioned a British architect, Henry Irwin, to build yet another palace in its place. The architect was requested to combine different styles of architecture in the construction of the palace. The construction was completed in 1912.

The word hot simply doesn’t do this day justice. It was incredibly hot, and very humid and crowded and noisy and dusty.

I got a lift into Mysore that morning. We left at 8am and stopped for breakfast at a roadside cafe — South India food is delicious. The drive, which takes over 2 hours, was fast and comfortable. It’s always comfortable in India when you’re in one of the best vehicles on the road and your driver is a professional and you’ve manage to miss all the red buses and all the trucks and the bikes and scooters and people and donkeys and rickshaws and potholes and washouts and cows — and arrive safe and sound at your destination.

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His Holiness, Penor Rinpoche, is the supreme head of the Nyingmapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He fled Tibet in 1959 and subsequently established Namdroling Monastery which is located in Mysore district, Karnataka State, Bylakuppe in Southern India. It has grown to become the largest Nyingma monastery in the world, educating many important tulkus, khenpos and thousands of monks and nuns.

I met His Holiness at Namdroling Monastery in 2003, which is when I took this shot.

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Kushalnagar is a town in Southern India.

Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Sailor,
Rich man, Poor man,
Beggar man,
Thief!

A Photo Friday photo assignment: this Feminine young girl is all dressed-up and ready to dance. I photographed her at a Tibetan folk festival I attended in Bylakuppe, India in 2005.

Happy Tibetan New Year — it’s the year of the Fire Dog. This snap was taken during Losar celebrations last year at the monastery of Ayang Rinpoche in Bylakuppe, India.