The most senior living lineage-holder of the Palyul Tradition,
Tulku Thubten Palzang Rinpoche (“Tulku Thubzang Rinpoche”), was
born in the year of the Fire Rat (1936). He was discovered by the
great Khenpo Ngaga Rinpoche, the same Khenchen who confirmed the
recognition of our late Holiness, Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche.
Tulku Rinpoche has spent the majority of his life in Palyul,
Kham, overseeing the rebuilding of Palyul Monastery. However, while
making sure we have the physical buildings where all can study and
practice the teachings, most important has been his activity to
save and preserve the texts of teachings. Through great effort,
personal danger and the blessings of all the lineage masters, Tulku
Rinpoche has managed to collect texts that were nearly destroyed.
The Kama teachings, for instance, were scattered in personal
collections throughout the local area and the world. These he
assembled in the Palyul Library, and had re-carved into wooden
blocks based upon the copies. He has also preserved some of the
original wooden printing blocks of the Nam Chö which remarkably had
escaped destruction through being mistaken by those who would do so
for firewood. The original pre-1959 library held wood blocks for 50
volumes. Thanks to Tulku Rinpoche’s hard work, and with the
addition of the Kama teachings, the library today holds printing
blocks of more than 110 volumes. It has likely become the world’s
largest wood block library for texts related to Kama collected in
one place. Because of this effort, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was
able to obtain the texts required to carry through the series of
retreats known as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, now
regularly given in Namdroling Monastery and in the US Retreat
Center.
Biographies often mention that Tulku Thubzang Rinpoche is
renowned for his expertise in the detailed instructions of all the
ritual activities such as Mudra (hand gestures) and
Cham (sacred lama dance). This understates his mastery. It
is because of his capacity to know all of the most minute details
of the elaborate rituals for Drupchen (twenty-four-hour a
day, seven-day prayer ritual) and Accomplishment Ceremonies that
these teachings have been preserved. He also knows how to play
nearly all of the sacred musical instruments and has taught these.
To understand the extent of his knowledge, we must know that
ordinary aspirants generally can remember just one of the
instruments. The monastic retreats within Palyul Monastery, Kham,
are all also overseen by Tulku Rinpoche. Fortunately for us, Tulku
Thubzang Rinpoche has been able to confer these teachings to
hundreds of aspirants, insuring they are remembered for generations
to come. In this way, granting teachings and empowerments based on
these texts and based on his knowledge of all of the rituals of
Palyul, Tulku Rinpoche has spent many years caring for and
nurturing the entire Palyul lineage.
http://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2011/03/tulku-thubten-palzang-rinpoche/