Born in eastern Tibet in 1938, Chö gyal Namkhai Norbu is an internationally known Dzogchen teacher and author as well as an eminent scholar of the history and culture of Tibet. He studied with renowned masters of various Tibetan Buddhist traditions at important monasteries and colleges, completing a rigorous program of traditional studies while still an adolescent. He revealed such extraordinary learning ability that he was considered a scholar even at an early age and when barely sixteen was invited to teach Tibetan at a university in China. He holds degrees in both philosophy and letters and traditional medicine. In 1960 he emigrated to Italy as a professor of Tibetology, and about a decade later began to give instructions to a growing following of Western students, initially on Yantra Yoga and subsequently on Dzogchen, the Total Perfection teachings of the Tibetan spiritual traditions. He is the founder of the International Dzogchen Community, created to encourage the teaching and practice of the Dzogchen point of view and meditation methods, and travels worldwide giving teachings and speaking at international conferences. A prolific author of books on Dzogchen, Yantra Yoga, and Tibetan history, medicine, and culture, he also founded ASIA and the Shang Shung Institute, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting the Tibetan people and preserving Tibetan culture.
