In Bloomington the night before the Dalai Lama teachings on the Heart Sutra?
Do not miss this opportunity to experience the soul-stirring artistry of Michael Fitzpatrick. Check the poster. I certainly will be there.

I just heard the sad news that my friend Thubten Jigme Norbu left this life a few hours ago. He was born in 1922 in the village of Taktser in Amdo eastern Tibet. His younger brother, born in 1935, was enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama and is now the Nobel Peace Prize laureate recognized around the world.  

Taktser Rinpoche was a tireless fighter for Tibetan independence from China. He was abbot of Kumbum Monastery in the Amdo region of Tibet at the time the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army invaded and occupied Tibet in 1950. After Rinpoche left Tibet for exile, China tightened the occupation to absolute control following an uprising by the Tibetan people against the Chinese military presence in 1959.

A walk together at HH Dalai Lama’s 1999 Kalachakra initiation in Indiana

After escaping from China-dominated Tibet in 1951, Taktser Rinpoche lived for a while in Japan as a guest of the Honganji Temple in Tokyo. He eventually made his way to the USA, living in New York City and Seattle on the way to his long-term home of more than 40 years in Bloomington, Indiana. He left monastic life when he left his homeland, and married the youngest daughter of the 40th Sakya Trizin, in exile from occupied Tibet herself. He and his wife Kunyang raised 3 sons, and had 3 grandchildren. He was 86 at the time of his passing from our lives. In the photo above, we are celebrating Tibetan New Year with friends at his home in Indiana.

A loyal supporter of the Dalai Lama, Taktser Rinpoche did nonetheless take a stand for complete independence of Tibet, as opposed to the autonomy sought by his brother. Each year he participated in long walks and cycle rides to raise awareness of the plight of the Tibetan people. Rinpoche dedicated his life to serving the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, and served in the early 1990s as the Dalai Lama’s representative in Japan. He wrote academic papers and books on Tibet, including his autobiography Tibet Is My Country.

An-shu Stephen at 38, Prof. Norbu just retired at 65 years old

I first met Taktser Rinpoche in 1987. I had just returned from a journey to Tibet and my first meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India in late 1986. The Dalai Lama told me he had a brother who was a university professor a short drive from my house. Amazing! I later went on to serve as part of Rinpoche’s Tibetan Cultural Center board of directors in the 1990s, and I assisted him and his family with events, programs, and presentations at the TCC. HH Dalai Lama visited the TCC five times, and I was honored to aid Taktser Rinpoche and his wife Kunyang with hosting tasks during each of his famous brother’s visits.

What a wonderful friend he was. From the first day I met him, he was ever the perfect role model for how to be the epitome of graciousness, generosity, thoughtfulness, and the most amazing humility. That is not just complimentary fluff talk to salute a departed friend; I really mean that. I will so much miss him and his influence as a role model in my life .

An-shu Stephen K. Hayes introduces His Holiness the Dalai Lama, taking his teaching seat at right

CLICK HERE to watch a video of An-shu Stephen K. Hayes as he introduces His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a teaching session October 2007 (An-shu appears at minute 6 after cultural performers)
A full list of the teachings is found at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center web site

Boulder Quest Center Dojo-Cho Kevin Keitoshi Casey Reflects on Days with An-Shu at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s October 2007 Teaching

The trip was not easy – rather, quite arduous. Sixteen hour days with little sleep and odd food schedules. No particular reward was promised, but there is intrinsic value in spending such long days with An-Shu, so I called in a lot of favors to be there. Every minute with An-shu is a teaching. How does a ninja master move through the complications of an extreme schedule, high expectations, and heavy security in the presence of the god-king of Tibet and thousands of visitors and attendants?

Our lineage promises the power to move through life with skill, accomplishing what we want and need while leaving everyone better off because of it. This is a subtle and important way of living, and in the dojo it is generally a vision that stands behind our regular martial training. Out in the real world, in the service of my teacher, I witnessed and participated in this ninja way of moving through chaos leaving a trail of brightness. I clearly saw how it is done and how our martial training prepares a person if they are willing to listen to the stories, embrace the lessons, and then take the responsibility and the risk to show up.

I was well rewarded by the privilege of participation in this most elite training, and I would have gone home happy with that alone. On top of that, I along with hundreds of others received elegant teachings and an initiation from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, clarifying the path toward enlightenment and inspiring a deep sense of connection with our vast human lineage. The crown jewel of the trip, however, was impossible to guarantee and almost dangerous to dream. It did come to pass that An-shu was able to set it up for me to personally meet the Dalai Lama and receive his touch and blessing. That brief moment in time with a man considered a literal deity and king, nearly unachievable, is a testament to the magic that can happen when we unite our spirits wholeheartedly with the teachings and community of the To-Shin ninja lineage.