Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, the founder of the international Shang Shung Institute and one of the foremost living Dzogchen masters, was born in Derge, Eastern Tibet in 1938. Besides having studied Buddhist philosophy for many years he also received numerous tantric and Dzogchen transmissions and teachings from many masters.

In the late 1950s, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu made a pilgrimage to Tibet, India, and Nepal. While he was residing in Sikkim in 1959, the Chinese occupied Tibet and as he was unable to return to his homeland to join his family, he remained in Sikkim working as an author and editor for the Government of Sikkim.

Recognized as extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of Tibetan culture at only the age of twenty-two, he was invited to Italy by the famous Professor Giuseppe Tucci to work at the ISMEO Institute in Rome for two years.

In 1962 he took a post in Naples at the Istituto Universitario Orientale where he taught Tibetan language and literature until 1992.

From the time of his residence in Italy Chögyal Namkhai Norbu focused his research mainly on the ancient history of Tibet investigating thoroughly the autochthonous Bon tradition. His books, which include works on history, medicine, astrology, Bon and folk traditions, are evidence of his profound knowledge of Tibetan culture and his commitment to preserve this ancient cultural heritage. They have been highly appreciated by Tibetans as well as scholars throughout the world.

Apart from his spiritual activity, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu founded the International Shang-Shung Institute to preserve the cultural traditions of Tibet, and ASIA, a non-profit organization operating in Tibet which is mainly dedicated to serving the educational and medical needs of the Tibetan people.

He was recognized at birth as a Tulku, a realized master who is born again of his own free will for the benefit of all beings. During the years of his studies, which, because of this recognition, were particularly extensive and in depth, he revealed such extraordinary learning ability that he was considered a scholar even though he was very young. Notwithstanding his youth, he was already well known by the end of the 1950s as a person with a profound knowledge of the Tibetan culture and also as a great spiritual teacher.

Due to his fame in India and in Tibet, in 1960 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was invited to Rome by Professor Giuseppe Tucci - an eminent scholar and founder of the Is.M.E.O. (Instituto per l'Africa e l'Oriente, one of the mayor institutes of oriental studies in Italy) - to collaborate in research. In 1962 he started to teach Tibetan language and literature in Naples at the Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli, where he worked until 1992. For the first fifteen years of his residence in Italy Chögyal Namkhai Norbu concentrated mainly on the ancient history of Tibet and has done extensive research into the historical origins of Tibetan culture.

He is author of many books. Of his influential and profound works on Tibetan history and culture, several have been translated into English: Necklace of Gzi, Journey Among the Tibetan Nomads and Drung Deu Bon.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is one of the primary living masters of Dzogchen. He is among the last generation of Tibetans to have been fully educated in Tibet. When he was eighteen years old he met his main master, Changchub Dorje, who aroused in him the complete awakening of his spiritual knowledge. In the mid ‘70s for the first time in the Western world, he was requested to give teachings. Since then, thanks to his deep understanding of the essence of Dzogchen and his natural capability of transmitting its meaning, a vast number of disciples of all nationalities have had an opportunity to appreciate the value of his teachings, to understand and practice them. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is the founder of the Dzogchen Community, whose centers of study and practice are found all over the world. For many years Chögyal Namkhai Norbu has been tirelessly traveling around the world not only to spread the Dzogchen teaching, but also to dedicate himself to safeguarding Tibetan culture, a commitment which has taken him to China on various occasions and especially to Tibet.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is also the founder of A.S.I.A., an organization which works within Tibet to develop schools and hospitals.