In 1644 he was appointed Governor of Shigatse, a post he held until 1659 when he succeeded his elder brother, Desi Sonam Rapten as de facto ruler of Tibet on behalf of Lobzang Gyatso, the Fifth Dalai Lama.
[1] Lobzang Gyatso[a] first mentions Norbu as attending a tea party in 1626, invited by the young Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen (1619-1656) next door at Drepung Monastery (bras spungs dgon pa).
[8] Shortly afterwards Sonam Rapten was displeased with his chief assistant Jaisang Depa (ja’i sang sde pa) who eventually became the Fifth Dalai Lama's third Regent in 1660; he wanted to appoint Norbu in his place, but Lobzang Gyatso was not happy about it.
[8] In the summer of 1638, Norbu married Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen's sister at Gekhasa (gad kha sa) village in Tolung (stod lung), probably modern-day 'Gyekhar' between Yangpachen (yangs pa can) and Tsurphu (mtshur phu).
Norbu was not well-off but he was an opportunist and the marriage increased his wealth and status, enabling him to enter politics; he then became notorious for the violent and unscrupulous ways in which he later dealt with certain practical issues on the regent’s behalf that were embarrassing for a high-ranking religious dignitary like Sonam Rapten.
Everyone going to China was apprehensive about the diseases and other dangers of the perilous journey, wrote Lobzang Gyatso, but Norbu, who was to remain in Lhasa, and seemingly convinced that nobody would be returning, was delighted that he did not have to go and he did not hide his pleasure.
Lobzang Gyatsho felt embarrassed but rather than rebuking Norbu for his cupidity he simply gave up the idea, not wishing to appear greedy by charging people to attend his teachings.
[3][1] In 1641, during the Tibetan civil war, Norbu was deputed to lead a body of troops west from Shun, six miles east of Lhasa, via upper Tolung to reinforce Gushri Khan's Mongol army besieging the fort at Shigatse.
Avoiding Kagyu resistance en route he progressed at a snail's pace, finally reaching Chushur (chu shur) on the north bank of the Tsangpo (gtsang po) after dawdling along and losing time.
[18][19] In 1643, to quell another rebellion in Kongpo (kong po), east of Lhasa, Sonam Rapten despatched an army under the joint leadership of Norbu and Tardong Donnyer (star sdong mgrong gnyer).
[24][25] Bhutan was founded by 'Zhabdrung' Ngawang Namgyel (Zhabs Drung Ngag Dbang Rnam Rgyal, 1594–1651) of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition, who had fled Tibet in 1616 over a dispute concerning his claimed status as the incarnation of the Fourth Drukchen, Padma Karpo ('brug chen pad+ma dkar po, 1527-1592).
He was renowned as a tantric magician having allegedly attained spiritual powers[26] which he used inter alia to protect Bhutan against such invasions from Tibet, of which this was the fourth attempt he had successfully faced but the first from the new Geluk government; the first three had been from the king of Tsang.
[30] A satirical song then became popular using word-play to mock Norbu, the new Governor of Shigatse, for acting as a common spy (Tibetan: ‘so pa’), playing on his earlier title, ‘Nangso’ ('border protector'), on his name Norbu ('jewel'), on the Zhabdrung's renown as a magician as the lama in the south and finally on the precious vertebrae relic of the First Drukchen Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (gtsang pa rgya ras ye shes rdo rje, 1161-1211, founder of Ralung monastery and the Drkpa Kagyu tradition), which was brought from Tibet by the Zhabdrung:[31][30] "The lama must be residing in the south, For all offerings [armour, weapons etc.]
The Drukpas have captured Nidup [Ngodrup, one of the Tibetan officers: also spiritual powers]; Norbu [jewel, i.e. the vertebrae relic] has worked as a spy [protector, as in protective deity or spirit]".
He appointed Norbu as commander of the main army, marching east from Shigatse via Phagri (phag ri) to Paro (spa ro) in western Bhutan where he tried to attack the fort.
[34][35][36][37][38] Norbu was even accused of betrayal, indulging in secret dealings with the Bhutanese enemy, but despite his incompetence, cowardice and duplicity Lobzang Gyatsho tried to come to terms with him, hoping that he might yet turn out to be a good leader.
[39] After Gushri Khan's death in 1655 Sonam Rapten organised one last attempt at capturing Bhutan to obliterate the memory of his earlier defeats and suppress Kagyu resistance against the Geluk, a constant threat to internal stability.
[45][40] The Bhutanese used guerrilla tactics to sap morale and after an entire year of ineffective campaigning in the inhospitable climate and the dense jungles Norbu retreated to Tibet and camped near the border at Phagri, unable to make a decision.
[58] There is no account of Norbu's activities in office but Lobzang Gyatso describes how later that summer he received imperial messengers himself and negotiated with them regarding gifts and diplomas they wanted to offer to the old king of Yarlung.
[59] Then in the 8th month Lobzang Gyatso had a project workshop set up to create a new crown for the special statue of Chenrezig (spyan ras gzigs) called Rangjon Ngaden (rang byon lnga ldan).
[10] On the eve of the Earth-pig New Year (1659) there had been severe disruption to the end-of-year rites by spirits and Lobzang Gyatso wrote that it presaged the coming conflict with Norbu and his associate Ngodrup.
[61] In the 9th month of 1659-1660, he consulted Nojin Chenpo (gnod sbyin chen po), the wrathful spirit which had been oath-bound and installed at Samye Monastery by Padmasambhava (o rgyan padma 'byung nas) 800 years before.
Shigatse’s close affiliation with the Tsangpa regime, the previous rulers of central Tibet, and with the Karma Kagyu tradition, made it the ideal location from which to instigate a rebellion against the Geluk government.
They reported that Depa Sepo had improperly dismissed all officials unwilling to join the revolt, Tregangpa had intimidated Tashilhunpo and the revenue collectors and Norbu and Ngodrup had seized control of the fort.
Taiji of Ukhere, a Mongolian prince who had, conveniently, just arrived from the north with a hundred soldiers and gifts of gold, silver, silk and porcelain, agreed to march his men to Shigatse right away and Dronnyer Drungpa was detailed to guide him.
[65][66] Rituals of suppression and liberation based on the violent rite of Jampel Layshin Marmo ('Jam dpal las gshin dmar mo) were carried out, led by the chief officiating prelate Ngagrampa Lobzang Dondrub (sngags ram pa blo bzang don grub), and signs of success occurred Meanwhile the Shigatse fort officials and Lobzang Geleg (blo bzang dge legs), Treasurer of Tashilhunpo, who had all been expelled by Depa Sepo, were keeping Lhasa informed about the goings-on at the fort, and advised that Trashi Tsepa of Shang (shangs bkra shis rtse pa), near Shigatse, was proving very helpful, providing the army with useful advice and information.
Lobzang Gyatsho detailed the government’s chief ritual officiator, the Nyingmapa Trulku Dorjedrag Rigdzin (rdo rje rig ‘dzin) the 4th and his team of 30 assistants to go to Gongkar (gong dkar) and perform the rite of the wind wheel for accomplishing strategic policy, the defeat of Norbu’s rebellion, through suppression and destruction.
[72] Lhatsun Kunzang Namgyal of Dzogchen (rdzogs chenpa lha btsun kun bzang rnam rgyal) revealed the ritual cycle of Yizhin Norbu Sai Nyingpo (yid bzhin nor bu sa'i snying po) in Demojong ('bras mo ljongs), Sikkim, and sent the relevant texts to Lobzang Gyatso.
In the second twelfth month monks led by the Dragna Choje (brag sna chos rje), rituals master of Drepung, performed the rites of protection, aversion, liberating and suppression based on the deity Jampal Mei Putri ('jam dpal me'i spu gri).
A negotiated settlement seemed to be on the cards, when all of a sudden it is simply stated that Norbu and Ngodrup, after handing over the fort to the commanders of the government forces, left for Samdrup Dechen (bsam grub bde chen) in Dam.