“Life is more difficult if you worry.  It’s better to deal with things as they come up“.

Early Life

Penor Rinpoche was born in the Powo region of eastern Tibet in 1932. By the age of 4, he was formally recognized as the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche, the incarnation of a highly accomplished master in the Palyul tradition.

Monastic Training and Education
Childhood–Teens – He entered Palyul Monastery, one of the six great mother monasteries of the Nyingma school, and began his studies in Buddhist scriptures, rituals, and meditation.
His primary teacher was Thubten Chökyi Dawa (Chögtrul Rinpoche), who gave him the full transmission of the Nyingma teachings.
He also received important empowerments and transmissions from Karma Thekchok Nyingpo, the 10th throne holder of Palyul, and other great masters of the region.
He was trained in:
Sutra (Buddhist philosophy and ethics), Tantra (ritual practices, deity visualizations, mantra recitation),
Dzogchen (the Great Perfection, the highest and most profound meditation system of the Nyingma school)

Early Accomplishments
By his early twenties, Penor Rinpoche had:
Received and mastered the entire Nam Chö (Sky Dharma) cycle of teachings, a treasure revelation central to the Palyul lineage.
Become known as an accomplished practitioner of meditation and compassion.
His reputation as a young master began spreading, and he was looked upon as the future guide and caretaker of the Palyul tradition.

Responsibilities in Tibet
Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, Penor Rinpoche had already begun teaching and guiding disciples in Palyul Monastery.
He worked closely with senior lamas to preserve the rituals, texts, and transmissions of the lineage.
His vision was to continue the unbroken transmission of Nyingma teachings in Tibet—but political turmoil soon made this impossible.

By the time he left Tibet in 1959, Penor Rinpoche had completed his training, was already recognized as a fully accomplished teacher and lineage holder, ready to reestablish Palyul’s tradition in exile.

Namdroling Monastery was founded in 1963 by His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche. In the same year, the 14th Dalai Lama laid the foundation stone and bestowed the name Namdroling.
In the early days, Penor Rinpoche labored tirelessly—engaging in manual work, village prayers, and even procuring the basic necessities: to build and support the fledgling monastery. From just a small bamboo structure and a handful of monks, Namdroling has grown into the largest Nyingma teaching center in the world, with thousands of monks and nuns studying and practicing there.
He also uplifted the Tibetan settlement in South India by providing cultural preservation, education, and spiritual guidance. Penor Rinpoche established the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute in 1978, creating a center for advanced Buddhist study. In recognition of his contributions, he was enthroned as the Supreme Head of the Nyingma tradition (Third Supreme Head of Ngagyur Nyingma) in the 1990s and received a national honour in India. He passed away in March 2009 at the age of 77, leaving behind an enduring legacy of compassion, wisdom, and devotion to the Dharma.