Golden Child

Chapter VI

Golden Child

Whenever, I go to meet father and mother, I never forgot to pay my homage to Nyingpo. I either asked him to place his palm on my head or touched his body with my head. Nyingpo was really a distinct child. Mother used to repeatedly tell me that a caretaker would come some day to take him from them. However, there was no sign of anybody coming to them even when the child neared three. Quite worried, mother went to meet ‘Tshetsham Rimpoche’ to consult him whether anybody would really come to recognize him. Rimpoche assured mother that she need not doubt that. Nyingpo’s impending greatness was well known to me and his family. However, the news of somebody coming to recognize Nyingpo was concealed from others. It was not made public.

It was little more than three year old for Nyingpo. Nobody came to him. Mother became more and more impatient. It was during that time, preparation for annual Drubchen in Kanglung public Zangdopelri was going on in full progress. The seven day Drupchen got convened under the auspices of the then Lam Neten of Trashigang Dratshang. During that time, His Holiness, Born Great, Nyingpo insisted his mother to take him to meet Lam Neten. Mother took him.

May I be inspired, may I get the right guidance to write about His Holiness. With my body, soul and speech submitted under the feet of His Holiness, may I with right knowledge vow to write about His Greatness. I write this to subjugate the irresistible desire in me. 

 I write this as I heard about His holiness from mother. Actually mother has to be addressed as “Yum” and father as “Yap” as we usually do it to the parents of a Great Being. But, since I became close to them, rather than addressing them as expected, I address them as “Apa”and “Ama”. I was told that as soon as Nyingpo reached near the alter where Lam Neten was presiding the Drubchen, he asked mother to allow him to go near Lam Neten and make him sit beside Lam Neten. As he wished, even Lam Neten let him sit there for the last three days. When a team of monks left for Dzong after the completion of one week Drubchen, His Hiliness insisted mother to let him accompany Lam Neten. It is obvious that parents would love their children beyond reason. Mother resisted sending His Holiness with Lam Neten out of love. His Holiness wept bitterly which ultimately won the sympathy of mother. Leaving mother behind, father had to accompany him to Trashigang Dzong. That was the last time I had seen His Holiness at Kanglung.

His Holiness had gone to Trashigang to stay away from his father and mother. His home, sisters at home, cattle and small productive field surrounding his birth place were forgotten topics to him. After two days, father came back from Trashigang Dzong saying His Holiness commanded him to go back. Coincidentally, there was National Day Celebration at Dewothang in 1998. His Majesty, Fourth Druk Gyalpo was the Chief Guest for the celebration. During that period, all Lam Neten of the eastern dzongkhags got the extension of invitation to attend. Lam Neten of Trashigang had gone down to attend the celebrations. In the meantime, it seemed Lam Neten of Trashigang got golden opportunity to communicate to His Fourth Druk Gyalpo about the presence of extraordinary child with him at Trashigang. His Majesty got leisure time to command Lam Neten to present the child in front of him. Thus, the child was presented where His Majesty Fourth Druk Gyalpo interacted and interrogated the child to find out who the child was.

His Majesty with his compassionate mind, commanded the four Lopens to take the extraordinary child to Thimphu. The four Lopens ushered an extraordinary child to Thimphu and enthroned him as Reincarnation of Gyaltse Tenzin Rabgay. He was given the new name as Gyalse Jigme Tenzin Wangpo and offered his former seat in Tango Monastery.

Till he was there in Kanglung with his parents, he was speaking Sherchop and kurteop. He spoke kurteop because his parents were Kurtoep speaking natives. He spoke sharchop because he was born in the heart of Sharchop-speaking people. But one miracle that happened oven His Holiness was he could learn totally new language, Dzongkha as soon as he reached Thimphu. That was seen as miracle because he did not speak dzongkha even once when he was there in Kanglung. I myself interacted with him in Sharchop or Kurtoep.                     

Now I consider him as a Golden Child, my Guru, my teacher. Even while praying I place his image on top of my forehead. I am waiting for time to ripe to extract and smear some of His wisdoms over my veins. I am fortunate that I came across such a great personality. Though He is nothing to do with my family, yet by virtue of knowing his family, I feel I am so close to him. Every year I go to meet him and to seek refuge in him. I listen to his wisdom and come back satisfied. I will keep visiting Him and getting his blessing till my last breathe.

The last time I visited him was in October 2012. He advised me to serve our Nation with dedication and sincerity. His Holiness advised me to remember Tha Damtse and Lay Judey and uphold Tsa Wa Sum above everything.  I was asked to refrain from corrupt practices. I was asked to serve my organization to the best of my ability. “No force on earth can pull you down if you are upright”, His Holiness added. If I keep all his advises in mind while executing my duty, His Holiness assured me of His blessings. After getting these advises, I do not think anybody, possessing any heart would differ to do anything otherwise. I for one cannot even, let alone doing the opposite, dream of drifting from His Holiness’s golden words. His Holiness’s golden words would be placed in the centre of my heart and would remain as my guiding principle so long as I work with human beings, aspiring to get enlightened.