Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

The founder and guide of the Dzogchen Community is Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. At his birth in 1938 at Derghe (Eastern Tibet), Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was recognized as the reincarnation of a great Dzogchen teacher. He 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.

In 1960 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. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is recognized as a leading authority on Tibetan civilization, particularly in the fields of history, literature, and the medical and astrological sciences. He is widely known for his activities on behalf of the culture and people of Tibet.

In 1976 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu began to give Dzogchen instruction 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.