Doubting my father only once
"When he was in his early twenties, in the early 1950s, Thinley Norbu went back from Mindrol Ling to Lama Ling, Kongpo, to stay with his father Düdjom Jigdrel Yéshé Dorjé. After arriving in Lama Ling, he became very sick suddenly. The doctors’ diagnostic was grave and they did not expect that he would live. The doctors prescribed medicine, but also told Thinley Norbu to refrain from eating meat as it could be very harmful for him and may even kill him.
At that time, Düdjom Jigdral Yéshé Dorjé came to see his son. He brought him a pot of soup with a large ball of meat inside. He said: “Drink this my son, it will help you to recover.” Because of what the doctors had said, Thinley Norbu thought, “How can my father know better than the doctors?” But because his father was also his root guru, Thinley Norbu drank the whole pot of soup and ate the meat. Soon after, he fully recovered from his illness.
Just after his recovery Thinley Norbu recalled the moment of doubt he had for his father, his root guru, and immediately decided reciting a mala of Vajrasattva mantra every day of his life to purify his samaya.
In the early 2000s, while taking his early morning korwa (circumambulations) around his house in Palm Desert, California, US, Thinley Norbu shared the story with me [Lama Sönam Tséring Gyaltsen]. He said, “Except for that single instant in Lama Ling, I have never again doubted my father was Guru Rinpoché. For sure. And up to this present day, more than sixty years later, I have never missed a single daily recitation for a mala of Vajrasattva mantra.'
That is a way to follow a lama."
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
