THE DZOGCHEN COMMUNITY
The Dzogchen Community is made up of those who are interested in following and practising the Dzogchen teachings. It was founded by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in Italy in the second half of the seventies and rapidly developed in various countries around the world taking on a completely international dimension. Today the Dzogchen Community has thousands of members in more than 40 countries.
The Community’s organisation is also the result of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s vision: the Gars (lit. residences, or the larger centres) and the Lings (the smaller centres) form a great Mandala (lit. circle) which unites the different geographical areas of the world. Symbolically the Mandala represents the universe as it is perceived by the individual and, in this particular case, the places where Dharma is practised.
Within the vision of the Mandala there are no hierarchical relationships between the various Gars or between the Lings or between the Gars and the Lings but only a relationship of collaboration and cooperation.
The Gars around the world: Merigar West (Italy) and Merigar East (Romania) in Europe; Tegyalgar East (Massachusetts USA) and Tsegyalgar West (West Coast USA-Mexico) in North America; Tashigar North (Venezuela) and Tashigar South (Argentina) in South America; Namgyalgar (Australia) in Oceania.
The Gars are linked to the Lings which represent the fundamental core of the Community. Some Lings have sprung up in the large cities (such as Rome, Barcelona, New York, Moscow).
The management and organisation of the various centres and groups of the Dzogchen Community are carried out by the Gakyil (lit. mandala of joy), an entity made up of three sections (indicated by the colours yellow, red and blue) which, according to an ancient Buddhist system, correspond to the three aspects of the individual (body, voice/energy and mind). The yellow Gakyil (linked to the body dimension) takes care of financial management, the red Gakyil (linked to the voice/energy dimension) of activities and projects regarding maintenance and development of the centre, the blue Gakyil (linked to the mind dimension) of cultural activities and those linked to the practice. The Gakyil is a collective body without any type of hierarchy within it and decisions are taken by common agreement of all the members. There can be three, six or nine Gakyil members who are elected each year. Besides the local Gakyils there is also the International Gakyil which is in direct contact with the Master and has the role of management and coordination.
Shang Shung International Institute for Tibetan Studies
IThe International Shang Shung Institute was founded in 1989 by Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu and inaugurated in 1990 at Merigar by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. It is a non-profit non-political cultural organisation and has the task of preserving Tibetan culture in its purity and entirety. The Institute takes its name from the mythical kingdom of Shang Shung found in Tibet more than 4,000 years ago and which the origin of the history and culture of Tibet dates back to.
This remarkable Tibetan culture has survived pure and uncontaminated for thousands of years, transmitted from generation to generation, and is one of the treasures of our planet. Since today there is a real danger that this unique treasure may be lost, the Shang Shung Institute promotes knowledge of Tibetan culture in its various aspects – religious, philosophical, artistic, historical, social - in order to safeguard it and contribute to its preservation. One of main activities of the Institute is the work of translating original Tibetan texts into the foremost Western languages.
The Institute organises courses, study seminars, conferences and exhibitions; looks after the publication of numerous books and texts; possesses a modern centre of multimedia documentation; offers study grants to worthy young Tibetans.
The central office of the Shang Shung Institute is at Merigar West with other offices in Austria and in the USA. Over the years the Institute has collaborated with several universities, foundations and museums and contributed to increasing people’s interest in Tibetan culture all over the world.
The Institute is active in four main areas: Archives and Multimedia; Culture and Events; Traditional Tibetan Medicine; Studies and Research on Tibetan Language.
Shang Shung Editions
The Shang Shung Editions publishing house, founded in Italy in 1983, sees to the printing of the teaching texts of Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu and other Masters who are representative of Tibetan Buddhist spirituality and culture. In 2006 the publishing house merged with the Shang Shung Institute.
Editorial activities include transcription, translation and publication of the oral teachings given by Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu at the International Dzogchen Community centres or in other centres and the translation of original Tibetan texts by qualified translators.
Over the years Shang Shung Editions has published more than 100 texts, most of them by Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu. The publications are mainly intended for practitioners of the Dzogchen Community but there are also texts of general interest which are particularly useful for those approaching the Teaching and Tibetan culture.
Shang Shung Editions, Shang Shung Institute and the International Publications Committee (IPC) of the Dzogchen Community check and make certain that translations of Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu’s works into various languages and their publication conform to the required standards of quality and protect their copyright.
ASIA
ASIA (Associazione per la Solidariet‡ in Asia) was founded in 1988 by Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu and has its headquarters in Rome. Its activities are closely linked to the other organisations of the Dzogchen Community. The main objective of the association is to promote the economic, social and cultural development of the Tibetan people.
Over the years, ASIA has carried out more than 100 projects in favour of the Tibetan populations in Tibet, China, India and Nepal. It has devoted a lot of energy to and been particularly effective in the fields of development of health and education, the preservation of the traditional cultural heritage, and distance adoptions. Thanks to its activities, hospitals and schools have been built in Tibet and numerous monasteries have been renovated. ASIA is a non-profit organisation that has acquired expertise and skills in the field of social-humanitarian assistance.
In 1999 ASIA was officially recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its realisation of projects in developing countries. In 2001 ASIA became a partner of ECHO (the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office).
The Mirror
The Mirror is the official newspaper of the International Dzogchen Community. It contains information about Community activities around the world.
In each issue the reader can find Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu’s current programme of retreats and conferences in different parts of the world, news on events taking places at the different Gars and Lings, information on the activities of ASIA, the Shang Shung Institute and on the most recent publications from Shang Shung Editions.
The Mirror also publishes extracts from the teachings of Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu and other Masters, book reviews and in-depth studies of various aspects of the Dzogchen teaching.
