Rinchey's Rhapsody

As narrated by Khenpo Nima Shar Translated by Rinchen Phuntsho Part I During the time of our Buddha, in a place called Sercha (Sanskrit: Kapilvastu, present day Nepal), there lived a wealthy man by the name Shakya Mingchen who was an uncle of the Buddha himself. Besides immeasurable wealth, he owned numerous slaves, both men and women. Amongst these slaves was a woman who had a daughter of unsurpassed beauty named Threngchenma. Though she was poor, Threngchenma possessed unparalleled beauty and grew up into an intelligent and skilled woman. However, as Threngchenma was the daughter of a poor slave, she eventually found herself employed under Shakya Mingchen as one of his gardeners. While her mother worked in the house of her Lord, Threngchenma worked in his flower garden sincerely mending fences and attending to the flowers. One day, as she was working in the flower garden, Threngchenma saw the Buddha who had come to visit Lord Shakya Mingchen. The mere sight of the Buddha fill