3rd Drubwang Padma Norbu

A prophetic Terma text of Ratna Lingpa says: “A person bearing the name Norbu will appear from the south of Kathog.” According to the meaning of this infallible vajra prophecy, the Third Throne Holder Drubwang Pema Norbu’s sun-like form took birth at the place called Ah Chog in 1679. Having awakened the nature of nobility he could read, write and so forth without any difficulty. At the sacred meditation place of Mugsang, Vidyadhara Migyur Dorje, a great treasure revealer, compassionately took hold of him and bestowed on him numerous profound teachings such as the Namchö and so forth. He received all the teachings in the manner of a fully filled vase and was given the seal of entrustment as the holder of those teachings. He also received many teachings, empowerments and oral transmissions from Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab. And particularly, he relied upon Khenchen Pema Lhundrup Gyatso as his root guru with great reverence and received the full ordination vow from him. He received all the unbroken lineage teachings of maturation and liberation of the Palyul tradition, including Ngagyur Kama (transmitted teachings) and Terma (treasure teachings). By practicing all those teachings, he gained certainty in the view of primordial purity-breakthrough resistance (trekchöd), and accomplished the level of pristine awareness through the direct leap of spontaneous presence (togyal). Due to his perfect level of accomplishment in these two practices, he was known as Drubwang Pema Norbu and his name and fame became widespread. He became a supreme vinaya holder and bestowed full ordination to hundreds of monks in the monastic community. Later, when he visited the palace of the dharma king Tenpa Tsering as his chief spiritual advisor, he performed a Vajrakilaya root ritual dance without his feet touching the ground and many fortunate people who had assembled there witnessed it directly. At that time Sakya Dagchen, gazing toward the east, said, “Today an exalted being who had attained the bhumis performed a Vajrakilaya dance and placed countless beings, whosoever saw or heard this dance, to liberation." So, the performance occurred at the same time. During his stay in Dege Changra, he introduced a tradition of sadhana practice of Thugchen Kyedun Rilbu (Avalokiteshvara’s Seven Successive Lifetimes Blessed Pill), and so forth, for the first time. Thus, his enlightened activities carried out for the benefit of teachings and sentient beings were beyond imagination. His many disciples like Khedrup Karma Tashi came up who upheld the lineage. Finally, in the year 1757 when he was seventy-nine his wisdom mind dissolved into the dharmadhatu.