This article focuses on the myth about the death of Nora Rinpoche, who played an important role in the thriving development of Tibetan Buddhism in the 'Han area' in the early twentieth century, and whose life is often narrated through a succession of miraculous stories. Based on my previous work entitled 'The Sacred and the Profane of a Lama's Life-An Analysis of the Reincarnation Identity of Nora Rinpoche', which examines the 'myth' about Nora Rinpoche's being recognized as a reincarnated tulku and 'Khutughtu', the present paper seeks to reconstruct the most likely condition in which Nora Rinpoche met his ultimate end and reflects on the relationship between faith, a master's life, and the rational aspect of the Buddhist belief itself. By investigating rumors about the master's death, this paper argues that Nora Rinpoche was first captured by his political enemies in Kham, who, in order to avoid his escape and the revenge of the KMT, handed the master over to the Communist 'Red Army' in the hope that the master would be killed through the Communists' hands. Nevertheless, the Red Army, then passing by Kham on their Long March, was in need of the support of the people of Khampa and thus adopted a rather neutral attitude towards Nora Rinpoche. However, during his detention, Nora Rinpoche had a serious heart attack and eventually died because of the lack of proper medical treatment. Nora Rinpoche was not, as rumors might have had it, tortured to death by the Red Army, however, nor did the latter treat the master with great favor as they have claimed.
