Dharamsala(HP): Taktser Rinpoche, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lamas eldest brother who favoured full freedom for Tibet, died in the United States at the age of 86 after protracted illness.

A prominent figure in Tibets religious hierarchy even before Dalai Lama was born, Rinpoche passed away at his home in Indiana yesterday, the Tibetan government-in-exile said here.

Rinpoche, whose given name was Thupten Jigme Norbu, was recognised at the age of three as the reincarnated abbot of Kumbum monastery in modern-day Qinghai.

Kumbum, where monks live under a religious vow, is one of the the most important monasteries in Tibet.

Rinpoche, who is survived by his wife Kunyang Norbu and and three sons, was a retired professor of Tibetan studies at the Indiana University.

He advocated full freedom for Tibet unlike his brother nobel laureate Dalai Lama who favoured a middle path policy which espoused meaningful automony for Tibet.
Source : DNA