:::DZOGCHEN Romania:::

The Dzogchen Community has been founded by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and counts among its members all those who are interested in the practice of Dzogchen. The Community is thus seen as a place for sharing and exchange for people who share the same path towards knowledge. The unique base or root of the Dzogchen Community is the understanding of the primordial state (Ati) in its own real condition and the application of this knowledge in life as the path. The basic foundation of the Dzogchen Community is made up of a master who posseses knowledge of the Dzogchen Ati and true practitioners in relationship with him.
The International Dzogchen Community, on the other hand, is made up of all the practitioners of Dzogchen around the world and it is a non-profit making cultural association. It has a non-bureaucratic structure and is based on the development of a system of communication which respects the various autonomous local conditions.
The various Community centers called Gars (literally meaning "dwelling") are considered places for practice of awareness, where it is possible to collaborate with others, in the perspective of a common spiritual enrichment.
The coordination of the various activities of the association is organized by the Gakyil, the basic unit of organization. Each Gakyil is made up of three sectors which correspond, according to an ancient Buddhist model, to the three kaya of an individual: body, voice and mind. Each Gakyil is autonomous and there is no one Gakyil that rules over another.

Apart from the setting up of centres for the teaching and practice of Dzogchen meditation, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu founded the non-governmental organization A.S.I.A. in 1988 (Associazione di Solidarietà Internazionale in Asia) with its headquarters in Rome. In 1998 this organization was recognized by the Foreign Office of Italy and in 2000 chosen by the European Economic Community as a partner for emergency projects.

Thanks to the enormous amount of work done, A.S.I.A. has become one of the major foreign humanitarian organizations to operate in Tibet, working for the economic, health and social development of the country and the protection of its cultural heritage. Amongst the numerous development activities, (building of schools, conservation of art works, distance adoption) ASIA has concentrated its work in the field of public health. It organized the building of several out-patient facilities for both modern and traditional medicine in the West and the South of Tibet, including the first hospital built with Italian co-operation in the ancient region of Kham in Ganthong.

In 1989, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu founded an international institute of tibetan studies: the Shang-Shung Institute, named after an ancient kingdom of West Tibet which was the cradle of the autochthonous Tibetan civilisation. The Institute, which is based in Arcidosso, promotes the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of Tibet with the setting up of courses on Tibetan language and literature, traditional medicine, astrology and the organisation of conferences and exhibitions.

The Institute has a valuable collection of Tibetan texts and an important video and tape collection on the civilisation of Tibet and the Himalayas. Currently there is an intense programme being carried out on an inventory and archives of the audio and video material relating to the teachings of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.

The Mirror has been the newspaper of the International Dzogchen Community since 1990. It is the channel of information of all the news and activities of the Community.
Each issue contains up to date information about Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's seminar and lecture programme around the world, news about events in the various Gars and Gakyil, ASIA activities and those of the Shang Shung Institute.
Teachings by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu appear as do book reviews the biographies of ancient masters, the calendar of collective practices and particular days for practice and information about international contacts.
Reading and subscritions at: www.melong.com