(grub thob rin po che rnal ‘byor pa ye shes phun tshogs)

Before he passed away and stayed for more than one year in thugdam he said to his disciples:

‘The entire nation, if not world shall ever witness the way I leave this world’.

Yeshe Phüntsog, was a great Yogi and accomplished practitioner (sgrub thob rnal ‘byor pa), popularly known as Drujegang Druthob or Naldjorpa Tsampa Drubpa (rnal ‘byor pa mtshams pa sgrub pa). He was born in 1916. His father was Gyurme Tsewang (bsgyur med tshe dbang), Unmodified Longevity, and his mother was Nagchungmo (ngag chung mo ?). Age nine, he became a monk at Thimphu-Punakha Dratshang and later studied with Drubwang Tendzin Gyamtso (grub dbang brtan ‘dzin rgya mtsho, 19th – 20th cent.). At age twenty-three he started with his first three-year retreat at Talo, Pang Karpo, the place where Lopön Drubthob Karma Jurmi (slob dpon sgrub thob dkar ma bsgyur med) maintains a retreat center at present.

After finishing his retreat Drubthob Rinpoche went on pilgrimage to Tsari Rongkor Chenmo (tsari rong skor chen mo), the great circumambulation of the ravines, a physically grueling and spiritually challenging pilgrimage that goes the entire way around the sacred mountain of Tsari, traveling a circuit through jungles and over high passes. Then, he continued to Lhasa in Central Tibet (gtsang) via Mela Kharchung, i.e. Lho Drowo Lung (lho brag gro bo lung), the valley of the birches in Southern Tibet, and original home of the great Marpa Lotsawa (mar pa lo tsa ba, 1012-1097).

Later, at Kharag, the place of the Kadampa monk Kharag Gomchung (kha rag sgom chung) in Central Tibet, Drubthob Rinpoche met his root teacher Togden Yongdzin Ngagi Wangpo (Ngagi Wangpo (rtogs ldan yongs ‘dzin sngags gyi dbang po) aka Togden Pagsam Gyamtso (rtogs ldan dpag bsam rgya mtsho), the eights Drugpa Yongdzin (‘brug pa yongs ‘dzin) and a direct disciple to Togden Shakya Shri (rtogs ldan shAkya shrI, 1853-1919). Ngagi Wangpo welcomed Rinpoche and as he recognized his dedication and devotion he treated him with an extraordinary care and bestowing upon him many teachings and transmissions. Although Ngagi Wangpo had many disciples from Tibet, Kham, Ladakh, and one other disciple from Bhutan, he gave additional lessons only to Drubthob.

After some year Drubthob went into a strict retreat for seven years, where he practiced the Six Yogas of Naropa (nA ro chos drug) and Mahamudra (phyag rgya chen po). The central practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa is Tummo (gtum mo), the practice of inner heat and pleasurable sensation, which has been annually tested by Ngagi Wangpo, some officials from the Central Tibetan government, and the local community. Testing the accomplishments and the progress of the cotton clothed yogic practitioners or repa’i drubpa (ras pa’i sgrub pa) in the practice of Tummo is known as chure (chu ras), where wet cotton clothes have to be dried on the naked body of the practitioner. This is usually done in the early morning of the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, in the middle of a cold winter night, by dipping the cotton into icy waters. According to Drubthob Rinpoche he failed at the first test, but then he succeeded to dry not only one cotton shawl but several, one after the other, year after year. Actually, he was so successful that the Tibetan government granted him five sho silver coins (zho lnga da yang). Consequently he received the title Drubthob or Tsampa Drubthob (mtshams pa sgrub thob), the Accomplished Practitioner Staying in Strict Retreat!
While he spent his time practicing in reatreat, a certain Bhutanese trader from Gaselo used to visit Tibet every six months and became fond of Drubthob. Therfore, he provided him with some food and drink, etc. Later, this trader advised Drubthob to leave Tibet and go back to Bhutan as the Chinese invasion had already started in Eastern Tibet. Thus, he left Tibet in the cold wintertime around 1949.

Having arrived in Bhutan, Drubthob funderwent another five-year retreat at Kuenga Choling, below current Tshang Choekhor Monastery, in Paro where former Je Gedun Rinchen also came to seek a place for retreat. They were then Chedro practicing and meditating opposite to each other. Drubthob- at somepoint, pull Je Gedun’s leg by sharing that, he was unable to get enlightenment-‘ Kho Sang Gay Mo Subbay Mo?’

After finishing this five-year retreat, instead of getting back to the home village, Drubthob started another retreat at Do Choetoen at Paro. He remained there practicing for sixteen years. At age forty (1956), he began with this long and intensive retreat practicing and remained in lotus posture throughout day and night. However, later on an old Tibetan practitioner joined him in retreat giving him advice to find some relaxation and sleep from time to time. Nevertheless, he continued with his practice twenty-four hours sitting in meditation.

He established Namdrol Choling Gompa, Patala, Drujegang, which has been named after Drubthob Rinpoche’s root teacher‘s monastery in Tibet. Later, Drubthob was requested to bestow empowerments and give teachings on the Six Yogas of Naropa and the practices of Yabyum by many great masters, such as current Je Cheri, Thrizur, and Nyezir. Even though Drubthob had not only received these practices but practiced them extensively, he replied that they should first try to receive the empowerments or wang (dbang) from his old master Drubwang Tendzin Gyamtso (grub dbang brtan ‘dzin rgya mtsho, 19th – 20th cent.). Consequently, they asked him to company them and finally went together to the master, who stayed at Sha Dechecholing Gompa, Wangdi.
There are also many stories narrated by local people as well as by his disciple’s that Rinpoche is known for performing Phowa (‘pho ba), the practice of transferring consciousness in order to liberate them. Thus, often when Drubthob performed the Phowa practice at the burial ground the dead body would shake and even jump up and stand, which mesmerized and shocked the people being around.

Drubthob Rinpoche‘s disciple, who looked after him told the people that Rinpoche intended to leave this world and enter Parinirvana in 2015. While practicing in his room sitting in lotus posture he had already decided to leave, but upon the fervent request by present Jekhenpo and the four Lopöns of Zhung Dratshang to live at least for 100 years, he postponed it. Thereupon, Je Khenpo instantly wrote and composed a four line long life prayer for him.

Drubthob Rinpoche did not easily accept practitioners as his disciples as he did not trust their determination and dedication. However, at Drujegang practiced many naldjorpa and for many years and even today there are practitioners, and even emanations or tulkus (sprul sku), doing retreat under the guidance of Drubthob. One of his younger disciples, Tsampa Penjor (mtshams pa dpal ‘byor) completed his three-year retreat in 2013, and recounts how he admires Drubthob Rinpoche’s simple and down to earth mentality, living a poor man’s life with relaxed mind and a confident heart. Drubthob continuously reminded Tsampa Paldjor of the preciousness of being free and well-favored in this life. Instead of waste this precious life by devoting it to wordly concerns he should roam throughout the nearby places with its rivers, forest, caves, and hermitages. Sometimes he could visit temples and monasteries seeking teachings and instructions for intensifying his practice. Thus, Tsampa Paldjor took this as inspiration and guidelines in order to follow in the footsteps of Drubthob Rinpoche.

Practitioners like Drubthob Rinpoche, remaining in seclusion and practicing with devotion, are quite rare in these modern times, where everybody is running after name and fame, titles, well-being and materialistic success. Even though Drubthob Rinpoche lived a spiritual live entirely devoted to practice he was not widely known and is therefore regarded as a hidden yogi or bepa’i naldjorpa (sbas pa’i rnal ‘byor pa). Yet, when he recently passed away his body remained for more than a year upright sitting in thugdam (thugs dam) without adding any salt or medicine (pur sa). It is said that after his funeral 2017, February 10th (15th Day of 12th Bhutanese Month!), many relics of his body were found later (sku gdung gi ring bsrel).

Source: https://www.facebook.com/280100425371178/photos/a.1580155892032285/1590469637667577/?type=3&theater

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