The Dzogchen Community was established as the safeguard for the continuation of the Dzogchen Ati teaching and its transmissions until the total realization of all who are interested in this path and are seriously related to my transmission.
Extracts from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s message to the Dzogchen Community published in The Mirror issue 43, January-/February 1998.
“There are many newer and older students in the Dzogchen Community who do not have a clear idea or understanding about what the Dzogchen Community is and why it is so important. Since I have created the Dzogchen Community, it is my duty to clarify this…
When you are my student, a member of the Dzogchen Community, and do Santi Maha Sangha Trainings regularly, then you should understand that the Dzogchen Community is like a Big Boat that carries all my students to whom I have transmitted my transmissions of Dzogchen Ati Yoga and takes them to the final goal of its realization. That means that the Dzogchen Community is a guarantee to all my students that they will reach the final goal sooner or later with my transmissions of Dzogchen Ati Yoga…
The Dzogchen Community is for all Dzogchen Ati practitioners. That means that all Dzogchen practitioners are in the same boat and that they should take care of the Dzogchen Community just like their own home. That is how our Dzogchen Community members must be in our Dzogchen Community…
When I was three years old, and then again at five, I had already been recognized as the reincarnation of a very important high Lama or Teacher. But even though I had been recognized as such, since the beginning I had no wish to become a Buddhist teacher in general, or a Dzogchen Teacher in particular.
After many years of living in the West, in Italy, many Italians asked me to teach the Dharma. The Gyalwa Karmapa particularly had asked me repeatedly to teach Dharma to Italian Dharma followers. But I had hesitated for some years reflecting on it, because I knew that to give teaching meant working with the transmission and since I was also still on the path, I did not want to play with the very important transmissions I had received from my teachers.
Finally, when I decided to pay respect to the order of Gyalwa Karmapa, and make those people happy who were interested in receiving Dharma teachings, I started to teach principally the Dzogchen Teachings, and at the same time I took a promise of 27 commitments for my teachings that they not become something related to personal interests, etc. Since then I have always transmitted all my Dharma teachings in general, and the Dzogchen Ati Teachings in particular, while maintaining these 27 commitments. I created the Dzogchen Community for the purpose of the continuation and maintenance of my Dzogchen Ati transmission. This Community is only for those people who are interested in my Dzogchen transmission and who are interested in maintaining the Dzogchen transmission that I have sincerely and purely transmitted to them…
I have tried to transmit the essence of all three series of Dzogchen Ati, which are the very essential knowledge of Dzogchen Ati transmissions that I received from my precious teachers such as Rigdzin Changchub Dorje, Ayu Khandro Dorje Paldrön, Togden Ugyen Tendzin and so on, more than 15 Dzogchen Masters, to my students who are seriously interested. Most of you know that I have transmitted mainly Dzogchen Ati Teaching and its transmissions for some 15 years or more, which means that for all this time I have been dedicated to and worked seriously with the Dzogchen Ati transmissions.
Then you can understand that I also have a great responsibility for my Dzogchen Ati transmissions. For that reason, I formed the Dzogchen Community with all my students who are in this same transmission boat. You can understand why I created the Dzogchen Community, and that the Dzogchen Community does not exist for my personal interest or for creating an important position of power for me.
Everybody in the Dzogchen Community knows very well that I have never undertaken any kind of missionary life. I worked at the University for nearly 30 years. It doesn’t mean that I liked being a University professor all those years. What I learned in the Dzogchen teaching is that a practitioner of Dzogchen should accept how the circumstances of one’s life manifest.
Of course, we can understand that if there is some terrible situation, we can try to find what the cause is and modify this situation. It was also clearly explained by Buddha Shakyamuni in the Sutra teaching that the way of overcoming the suffering of samsara is not struggling with it, but discovering what the cause of suffering is. When we discover the cause, there is always a possibility of modifying. Otherwise we can accept things just as they are: we have a set of circumstances and we accept them as they are. For that reason I worked that way instead of being in the position of a Dzogchen Master. I am not saying that the position of a Dzogchen Master is negative but if there is some personal interest involved, then it could definitely be negative.
Therefore you can understand very well the real purpose for the creation of the Dzogchen Community from the beginning. In short, the Dzogchen Community is:
the way we collaborate with each other and between all our Dzogchen practitioners;
the way each practitioner goes deeper or progresses in the real knowledge of Dzogchen;
the way each practitioner integrates the knowledge of Dzogchen in their real condition;
the way all practitioners travel together to total realization;
the way we maintain a real and pure transmission of Dzogchen Teaching for future generations;
the way we can have a guarantee of the correct continuation of the Dzogchen Ati Teaching.
The Dzogchen Community was established as the safeguard for the continuation of the Dzogchen Ati teaching and its transmissions. How I started it is the same way I take care of it continuously. It doesn’t depend on how long I live, but until the total realization of all who are interested in this path and are seriously related to my transmission.
For that purpose, the Dzogchen Community has its characteristics: its structure is different from all other kinds of Dharma Centers and that is called the Gakyil. This is why the Gakyil exists in the Dzogchen Community. If we have real knowledge of Dzogchen Ati, then we must have knowledge of the value of Dzogchen Ati transmission. Having this knowledge, then we can have total understanding of the value of the Dzogchen Community and it is not so difficult to understand the value of the Santi Maha Sangha Trainings and how they are related to the Dzogchen Community.
When we start different levels of the Santi Maha Sangha examinations, we ask candidates, “Are you a Dzogchen Community member?” It doesn’t mean, “Do you have a Dzogchen Community Card, or did you pay some money to have the Dzogchen Community Membership Card?” If that were so, there would be no sense in having Dzogchen Community Membership.
It means that you must understand how important the Dzogchen Community is and how you must be responsible for it. That is the real sense of Dzogchen Community Membership. If you are a Dzogchen Community member you should take care of it in the way I have done until now.”
To Our Vajra Brothers and Sisters of the International Dzogchen Community,
Our Master left us with everything we need to apply The Teaching, and after a year of Mourning, we now move into a deeper understanding of how to be responsible for ourselves, and for our collective action as the students who hold Rinpoche’s unique and precious lineage.
Our future as a Sangha remains alive on the basis of our practice, our collaboration, and in a very concrete sense: Renewal of Membership as a way Rinpoche created to maintain organized courses, events, services, and places to gather together.
Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance, Santi Maha Sangha, Khaita, Medical Programs, Translation Projects, Book Publishing, and all Collective Practices continue to develop based on our opportunities to gather and share our knowledge and experience. Just as Rinpoche’s Transmission planted the seed for all of that Activity to manifest in Gars and Lings around the planet, in a practical sense, Membership fuels the growth and development of that Activity.
We owe our existence as a Sangha to our amazing fortune as individuals who received the Supreme Teaching from our Supreme Teacher. Membership in The Community that Rinpoche built is the responsibility we share as students who were Blessed as knowledge holders directly by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Although it feels we can never truly repay the kindness of the person who introduced freedom beyond all limitations to each of our lives, there are very mundane and simple things we can offer every year that symbolize our appreciation. Membership is a basic expression of our gratitude for Rinpoche’s life and the infinite kindness we have received from that rare and authentic connection.
If we want the Dzogchen Community to continue its evolution, and we see ourselves as a part of that evolution, then Membership is a very real contribution each of us can make to uphold the Teaching for ourselves and for the benefit of Our World.
We urge you to consider well the deeper significance of Membership Renewal, and we thank you for your continued interest, dedication, and support.
All Our Love,
International Gakyil of The International Dzogchen Community
Please contact your local Gar or Ling to Renew Your Annual Membership for 2020
Dzamling Gar [email protected]
Kunsangar North [email protected]
Kunsangar South [email protected]
Merigar West [email protected]
Merigar East [email protected]
Namgyalgar [email protected]
Samtengar [email protected]
Tashigar Norte [email protected]
Tashigar Sur [email protected]
Tsegyalgar West [email protected]
Tsegyalgar East [email protected]
Or renew your membership simply and directly by registering on www.dzogchen.net.
The www.dzogchen.net portal hosts the webcast of the International Dzogchen Community where replays of teachings and webcasts are available for members of the community. To access translations and webcasts, use the login and password used for registering on www.dzogchen.net. After logging in, members can also access and download free pdf copies of The Mirror magazine.
The International Gakyil on behalf of the whole Dzogchen Community would like to give their sincere thanks to all those renewing their membership, particularly meritorious and sustaining members whose participation is vital for the continuation of the Community.
Global Membership Policy 2020
Local Ordinary Membership [set by local Gakyil]
Local Sustaining Membership [optional, and set by local Gakyil]
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Global Sustaining Membership 500 EUR / 575 USD
Global Meritorious Membership 1,500 EUR / 1,725 USD
Global Membership Policy details
Benefits: Global Meritorious
80% discounts on all events and workshops in all Gars and Lings
Each Gar can provide more benefits to its own members
Global Sustaining
50% discounts on all events and workshops in all Gars and Lings
Each Gar can provide more benefits to its own members
