The founder and guide of the Dzogchen Community is Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, who has lived in the west since 1960, when he came to Italy at the invitation of Professor Giuseppe Tucci, as a staff member of the Institute for Middle and Far Eastern Studies of Rome (today ISIAO). He was Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian Language and Literature from 1964 to 1992 at the Oriental Institute of the University of Naples. A leading authority on Tibetan civilization, particularly expert in the fields of history, literature, and medical and astrological science, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is widely known for his activities on behalf of the culture and people of Tibet.

At his birth in 1938 at Dege (Eastern Tibet), Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was recognized as the reincarnation of the great Dzogchen teacher Adzam Drugpa (1842-1934), and when he was five years old he was further recognized by the XVIth Karmapa as the mind emanation of Drug Shabdrung Rinpoche, a prior reincarnation of the master Padma Karpo. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu studied with some of the most important masters of his time and completed the training required by Buddhist tradition in both Sutra and Tantra. At the age of sixteen, he met master Rigdzin Changchub Dorje, who introduced him to the authentic knowledge of Dzogchen teaching. In 1976, he began to give instruction in Dzogchen in the west, first in Italy, then in numerous other countries. He rapidly acquired spiritual authority among many practitioners, and created centers for the study of Dzogchen around the world. The principal ones are in Italy, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and Russia.

Dzogchen, which in Tibetan signifies Total Perfection, is a teaching which enables us to discover our true condition. It cannot be counted as a religious or philosophical tradition, but is a non-intellectual knowledge which the masters have transmitted beyond any limitations of school or sect. Because its meaning does not depend on cultural specifics, it can be understood and practiced in any spiritual context.

In Tibet, Dzogchen has existed and still lives in both the Buddhist tradition and that of Bon, the indigenous pre-Buddhist religion. In the Buddhist tradition, historians attribute the origins of the Dzogchen teaching to twelve primordial masters who lived in archaic times, while the Dzogchen passed down to our day within Tibetan Buddhism, was first expounded more than two thousand years ago by master Garab Dorje. He was born in the land of Oddiyana, an ancient kingdom sometimes identified with the valley of Swat in Pakistan. In the VIIIth century of our era, the Teaching transmitted by Garab Dorje was brought to Tibet by great masters such as Vairochana, Vimalamitra, and Padmasambhava. In that period, which saw the first diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet and the large-scale translation of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, the texts of Dzogchen were also translated, in great measure from the language of Oddiyana.

In Bon, the introduction of Dzogchen is ascribed to the great master Shenrab Miwoche, who transmitted this knowledge as part of a tradition widespread in the ancient Shang Shung realm, located in what is now western Tibet. Today, Dzogchen - as taught above all in the Nyingmapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and the Bon tradition, but known and practiced in other schools as well - has begun to spread in the west, thanks to Tibetan masters who, after leaving their country, teach tirelessly in Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

Four Verses of Advice from Ogyen Tendzin
(Part One)

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening to all people who are interested around the world!

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Understanding the Characteristics of the Teaching

In general when we are learning Dzogchen teaching, we know that there are three series of Dzogchen teaching...

Working with Circumstances

When we say 'teaching', particularly 'Buddhist teaching', and we say only 'teaching', it seems that everything is the same. But there are hundreds of different kinds of teachings.

The Essence of Dharma

I am sure many of you already follow Dharma teachings, so this evening I would like to go more into the essence of Dharma.

The Importance of the Dzogchen Community

There are many newer and older students in the Dzogchen Community who do not have a clear idea or understanding about what the Dzogchen Community is and why it is so important. Since I have created the Dzogchen Community, it is my duty to clarify why it is so important.