PROFESSOR NAMKHAI NORBU
AN ITALIAN CITIZEN, AMBASSADOR OF CULTURE AND FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD
Professor Namkhai Norbu came to Italy in 1960 at the invitation of the eminent scholar Giuseppe Tucci, founder of the I.S.M.E.O (Istituto per lo Studio del Medio e Estremo Oriente), an institute dedicated to the study of the Middle and Far East.
Born in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Namkhai Norbu acquired a distinguished education at the principal monastic universities of his country, among which the Sakyapa College of Derge where he obtained two advanced university degrees in philosophic-literary studies and in traditional Tibetan medicine. At the age of twenty he was already known as a scholar and skilled researcher which opened the way for his collaboration on important international academic projects, among which those offered to him at the I.S.M.E.O in Rome.
“The real peace between people can manifest only through the inner evolution of each person”
— Professor Namkhai Norbu
After the first years in Italy he accepted a position to teach Tibetan Language and Literature and Mongolian Language at the Oriental University of Naples, where he taught from 1964 to 1993.
Namkhai Norbu settled in Italy and acquired citizenship. In the course of his life he combined two cultures - that of his origins with that of his country of residence- developing a message of personal and human evolution, a message of peace of the highest cultural and social level that he continually brought to the world.
This message underlined the importance of cultivating interest in all civilizations, for the social and historical uniqueness manifest in each, and of seeking to live in a climate of quietude and harmony. Relaxation and inner evolution, in fact, help the individual to face the changes that our society is undergoing, contributing both to a better personal quality of life and to participating in a more civil society.
Aware of the human and social value of these issues, he has shared them with those interested with deep competence and humility. In the academic world, Namkhai Norbu dedicated himself to preserving Oriental and in particular Tibetan culture and spiritual traditions as a universal heritage of humanity.
His contributions, of great significance, were appreciated and shared by famous universities and organizations, to name several: Columbia University, NY; Stanford State University, CA; Berkeley State University, CA; Amherst University, MA, USA; Beijing Central University; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing; State University Fudan of Shanghai; State University of Chengdu, China; University of London (SOAS), UK; Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia; Medical University of Tokyo, Japan; Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; and Amsterdam International Conference: Spirit of Peace "Forty Years of the United Nations.”
The appeal of the activities and research of Namkhai Norbu in Italy, and later also in various locations of the world, has drawn numerous professors, researchers, and students as well as an audience of the simply curious, eager to share their interests and experiences. Over the years Namkhai Norbu trained instructors specialized in different disciplines (Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance, Meditation and relaxation methods).
He has also trained national and international translators who, inspired by his approach to the linguistic study of modern and ancient Tibetan, developed a renewed interest in research and in extending their studies to contemporary world languages such as English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese.
Spurred by interest in the message of Master Namkhai Norbu, in 1981 the first center of the Dzogchen Community Cultural Association was founded in Arcidosso (Tuscany), Italy and was named Merigar.
In the following years, centers similar to the Dzogchen Community of Merigar have arisen spontaneously in the United States, South America, Russia, Australia , Europe and China giving birth to the current International Dzogchen Community, an association that enjoys international respect and prestige in institutional spheres as well.
Realization is not knowledge about the universe, but the living experience of the the nature of the universe.
Until we have such living experience, we remain dependent on examples, and subject to their limits.
— Professor Namkhai Norbu
In 1988 Professor Namkhai Norbu founded A.S.I.A, (Associazione per la Solidarietà Internazionale in Asia) in Rome, Italy, an NGO dedicated to international solidarity in Asia, that in 2001 signed a mutual support agreement with the European Commission’s international aid organization ECHO.
ASIA Onlus operates in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, India, Mongolia, and Italy to safeguard cultural heritages, to support education for socio-economic development, and through long-distance sponsorships, as well as to sustain educational projects such as the construction of schools. A.S.I.A. also supports health-related projects by building hospitals and providing vocational training modules. Asia Onlus intervened during emergencies caused by natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, floods) with support to the affected populations of the Asian continent and of Italy.
In 1989 Professor Namkhai Norbu founded the Shang Shung Institute, based in Italy, allowing scholars from all over the world to develop and advance important research and study activities on Oriental art and culture. Within it, the Department of Research on Traditional Tibetan Medicine has promoted conferences and study days at the Italian headquarters and in other branch offices in Austria and Great Britain. The Shang Shung Institute also opened a School of Tibetan Medicine based in Russia and the United States.
In recent years he has been using meditation in dancing and singing as an approach to relaxation and the pursuit of happiness, further promoting his message of peace. Since 2010 the songs and the Joyful Dances "Khaita-Harmony in the Space" have been recognized as cultural treasures by the UNESCO International Dance Council. Hundreds of people gathered in "flash mob" mode, bringing the message of Joyful Dances around the world, and attracting the attention of the British Museum in London, the Regina Madre Museum in Naples, the Dora Stratou Theater in Athens, all of which included them in their cultural programs.
In December 2016, the Dzogchen Community of Merigar opened, in collaboration with the Municipality of Arcidosso and the European Union, the MACO (Museo di Arte e Cultura Orientale), a museum of Oriental art and culture, under the patronage of the Region of Tuscany, the MiBACT (Ministero per i Beni e Attività Culturali), the MIUR (Ministero Istruzione, Università e Ricerca), and UNESCO as well as Chengdu University in China and various Italian museums and universities.
The MACO is a small interactive, specialized museum where workshops, meetings, and guided tours with schools of all grades and specializations regularly take place.
Professor Namkhai Norbu has received many awards and distinctions both at home and abroad, for his vast cultural activity and for his social commitment.
In 2011 the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano honored him with the Alto Patronato (High Patronage) on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Associazione Culturale Comunità Dzogchen Internazionale, Arcidosso, Italy.
On September 10, 2018 he was awarded by the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella the highest distinction given to Italian citizens, the Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.
On September 27, 2018 Namkhai Norbu passed away serenely in his residence of Gadeling, Arcidosso (Grosseto), Italy.
VIDEOS
Prof Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche leads an expedition to Zhang-Zhung,1988
Prof Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche leads an expedition to Khyung lung dngulmkhar, the last capital of the Kingdom of Zhang-Zhung, in 1988. He describes his first impressions and reflections of the significance of the site and his hopes for future research in to roots of Tibetan culture.
Origin of Tibetan Script and Shangchung ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལ་དམིགས་བསལ་བཅར་འདྲི།
In an exclusive interview with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, Spiritual Head of the International Shangshung Institute, Kunleng discusses his research work on the origin of Tibetan scripture, impact of Shangshung on Tibetan culture, and his books covering Bon tradition and Dzogchen practice.
