Hellenic Dzogchen Community

In 1976, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche began teaching Dzogchen at the request of a small group of interested students in Italy. Soon the number of students increased and, by now, his numerous students are spread all over the world. All of them together are constituting the body of the Dzogchen Community world wide and the international or global nature of our Sangha is often emphasised by our Rinpoche.

The Gars of Dzogchen Community are: Merigar West in Italy, Kunsangar in Russia, Tsegyalgar East in the USA, Tashigar South in Argentina, Tashigar North in Venezuela and Namgyalgar in Australia. Also, Tsegyalgar West in Mexico, and a new one named Merigar East in Romania.

These Gars (lit.: "encampments" or "settlements") and Lings ("places") are focal points for practitioners, where teaching and practice retreats are taking place.

Here are some characteristic excerpts from Rinpoche's own words describing the Dzogchen Community:

"The Dzogchen Community is a broad association of people brought together by a common interest in the teaching of Dzogchen Ati; who follow it under the guidance of a master possessing the authentic knowledge of this state of Dzogchen; who study and practice, each according to his (or her) own capacity, the Tantras, the Lungs and the Upadeshas; and who further the circumstances necessary for these activities.
As clarified in the statutes of the Community, one can only become an effective member (of the Community) after following the teaching for three years, but obviously, all who are interested in the teaching and who wish to or actually collaborate with those who maintain them, automatically belong to the Dzogchen Community.
On the other hand, those who are in the Community only in a spirit of friendship; or to pass their time in distraction; or who in reality have no interest at all in the teachings or in those who maintain them, cannot be considered to be practitioners of Dzogchen, even if they have completed the established length of time for belonging to the Community, or have already done so long ago."...
... "If someone considers the Dzogchen Community to be like any other usual association and leaves it because of some conflicts he has had (with some other members), and goes off to join another association, there is no guarantee that until he has relaxed his own tensions, he will not sooner or later want to leave this other association (too). It is very likely that these kinds of situations arise.
In reality the Dzogchen Community is represented firstly by the teachings of an authentic Master who maintains them and secondly by the people who are interested in them; who according to their different individual capacities, study the Tantras, the Lungs and the Upadeshas of Dzogchen and secondarily all branches of knowledge linked with the teachings; who try to practice their understanding as much as they can; who collaborate in resolving the most important necessities related to the aims and do their best to help in any kind of work, motivated by the fact, not of having given the job by someone else, but by their own spontaneous willingness.
This should be the real nature of the Dzogchen Community".

The Hellenic Dzogchen Community is a cultural non-profit organization representing the local community of students and practitioners in Greece. The seat of the Hellenic Dzogchen Community is located in Athens, yet the Sangha is comprised by practitioners from all over the country, regardless of their nationality. Together we practice and work to realize and preserve the Dzogchen teachings for the benefit of all beings.

As an organization, the Hellenic Dzogchen Community is an indepented, self-reliant and self-efficient entity. Yet, in all essential community matters, we are working closely and in direct collaboration both with the International Gakyil of the Dzogchen Community and with Merigar West, our regional Gar.

The Hellenic Dzogchen Community is committed to the preservation of the precious Dzogchen teachings, which were passed on through an unbroken, direct lineage to Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, and through him have been trasmitted to us, too. As the local Dzogchen Sangha, we practice together at minimum four times per month, at the full and new moons, and on the special days of each month called Guru Rinpoche Day and Dakini Day. In addition, we often get together for special practice weekends and retreats as well.

In order to create auspicious circumstances that can favour further study and practice, the Hellenic Dzogchen Community aims to develop a study and retreat place (Ling) in the countryside. This place is situated on the slopes of Arcadia in southern Greece and, recently, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche named it "Garabling", that is: Place of Joy and Delight.

A.S.I.A., the Association for International Solidarity in Asia, is a non-profit NGO set up in Italy in 1988 to help those people whose ethnic, cultural and environmental survival is seriously threatened. A.S.I.A. has since been established in several other countries.

A.S.I.A.'s projects are mainly directed towards Tibetan peoples in Tibet, India and Nepal, and are based on the employment of local technologies, resources and people. A.S.I.A.'s activities operate through collaboration between local Tibetan communities, local authorities and both local and international technical and foreign experts. The projects aim to develop self-reliance within the communities receiving assistance, thus fostering the survival of the Tibetans and their culture within the problematic social, cultural and ecological context.

S.S.I., the Shang Shung International Institute of Tibetan Cultural Studies, is dedicated to the educational and research activities taking place under the guidance of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. SSI was established in 1989 in Italy, and in 1997 in the USA. Lately, a branch of the SSI has been established in Austria too, focusing mainly on the Ka-Ter Translation Project.

SSI's domain extends in all fields related to the historical and cultural background of the Dzogchen teachings. Some such key areas of focus are:

The Institute's objective is the promotion of all initiatives that are aimed at spreading and deepening the knowledge of Tibetan Culture, thus ensuring its survival.

The Shang Shung Institute was founded in 1989 by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, and was officially inaugurated in 1990 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It is a cultural non-profit making association without political aims or agenda.