No. 141 THE MIRROR September 2018 Merigar, in the presence of His Holiness Dear Friends, the Dalai Lama, the Shang Shung Tibetan Institute of Studies, to further knowledge On Thursday 27 September, of these disciplines and of Tibetan culture 2018, at 9 pm our beloved in general. In recent years the Professor has also Master left this earthly catalogued, translated, and published more existence in a serene than three hundred folk ballads and Tibet- and peaceful way, at his an songs, reworking and encouraging the residence, Gadeling, Merigar. study of the choreography of the dances associated with them. The Namkhai Family But the love and passion of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu for the history and culture of his land were not limited to its remote past. Now I want to illustrate some aspects of the high morality of the life of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Recognized at birth as a Tulku or living Buddha, that is, a reincarnation of a great Master of the past, Chögyal Namkhai Nor- Chögyal Namkhai Norbu 1938–2018. bu never availed himself of his status for his own political, economic, or religious ad- innumerable cultural, moral, and spiritu- vancement, as was often customary among Senior student Costantino Albini’s al dimensions cannot be compared even his contemporary peers. Throughout the testimonial at the ceremony at the to the sparkling and surprising facets of a course of his life his successes, his every Great Stupa in Merigar on October 3, diamond. conquest was attained solely through his 2018, to say farewell to and honor If today I were to attempt to talk about tireless work and his, yes, superior skills. Master Namkhai Norbu all the good that he has done, of all that For those who knew him and were close he has given us and the world, the whole to him, during his whole life he manifest- day would not suffice and I would certain- ed the qualities of an enlightened being ear Sisters, dear Brothers, dear ly finish by omitting far more than I could whom we call a Bodhisattva, that is, an Friends – also you who represent succeed in mentioning. incarnation of supreme generosity, loving Dthe institutions, today I will call you I will limit myself to listing some as- kindness and compassion. all only in this way: Friends. pects of his work on the cultural level: In 1988 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu found- On behalf of the entire Dzogchen Com- numberless publications document his ed ASIA (Association for Solidarity in Asia), munity and of the Namkhai family, I greet continuous historical and archaeological a non-governmental organization that to you and thank you for having come to- research, particularly in archaic Tibet and this day carries out projects of cooperation day, October 3rd 2018, to honor and to re- in the ancient and forgotten kingdom of and solidarity in Tibet and other disadvan- member Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, an ex- Shang Shung. taged regions of the planet. traordinary man who has meant so much to those who have had the fortune and the privilege of knowing him, and who has brought about, to a lesser or great- Chögyal Namhai Norbu is an example of er extent, profound changes in our lives. immense wisdom, kindness, lucidity and His birth name is Namkhai Norbu, which means in Tibetan “Jewel of the Sky”. For his indomitable free spirit colleagues at the Oriental University In- stitute of Naples he was professor Norbu. For the Tibetan world, in which he is His findings revolutionized ideas long ASIA brings humanitarian aid to the re- not only a cultural figure but also and held as certain by the scholarly Tibetologi- gions struck by natural disasters, builds above all a spiritual one, he carries cal establishment. schools and hospitals, and facilitates the the title of Chögyal, King of Dharma, As Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian professional training of people in need. that is, of the Teaching of the Buddha. Language and Literature at the University However Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was For us, his students, he was and forever will be, in Naples, he created, among other things, a not only a great scholar, an audacious re- affectionately, Rinpoche: Precious Teacher. system of Tibetan language transliteration searcher and explorer, and a highly moral, It is not easy to talk comprehensively in that allowed his students to pronounce the generous and compassionate man, always a few minutes of the life of Chögyal Nam- Tibetan language perfectly. ready to help people and populations in dif- khai Norbu, a man of inexhaustible versa- An expert as well of Traditional Med- ficulty. tility and of a sagacious and multifaceted icine and Tibetan Astrology, Chögyal intellect, which I would call brilliant. His Namkhai Norbu founded in 1991 here in 2 THE MIRROR · No. 141 · September 2018 Contents The Passing of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu ....... 2 Guru Padmasambhava – The Tibetan Book of the Dead and Vajrayana .................4 Honorary Title for Master Namkhai Norbu .............. 10 International Gakyil. 11 International Atiyoga Foundation ..........12 Photo by Edith Casadei Shang Shung Foundation ..... 15 The most extraordinary and important “We will not only make a Buddhist cen- ASIA ........................23 trait of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is certainly ter,” he said, “but rather, we will form a com- his exceedingly elevated spirituality. Custo- munity of practitioners… Every Dzogchen The Khaita dian and practitioner of the ancient knowl- practitioner is a living center of knowledge Photo Album ................24 edge called the Dzogchen Teaching that is of the Teaching, a free, relaxed person, in- at the root of Buddhist spirituality, for us dependent of titles and schools… A commu- Merigar West ................25 Chögyal Namhai Norbu is above and be- nity of practitioners can extend anywhere, yond all, our beloved Master, a Master of life even across the earth. Every practitioner Merigar East .................30 who taught us to become complete human wherever he goes will find his family, his beings, the Sacred Master of the Vajra who brothers and sisters who, sharing his same Kunsangar North ............34 introduced us to the deepest knowledge of knowledge, will welcome him and support ourselves, revealing to us our true nature. him in his practice.” Tsegyalgar East .............. 35 For more than forty years during which Now, Master, we, your students, are he has poured an ocean of marvelous and thousands and are all over the earth. To- Tsegyalgar West ............. 37 profound teachings into us, he has known day there are many of us and we are here how to speak to each one of us personally, to pay homage to you but this is not a fare- Sacred Journey to East Tibet/ intimately, answering our yet unexpressed well, it is not a goodbye. Kham August 2018 ...........38 questions. You, Master, live in the heart of each one Chögyal Namhai Norbu is an example of of us. Thanks to your compassion we are Murals of Tibet ..............40 immense wisdom, kindness, lucidity and now your Body that continues to live. indomitable free spirit. Let us continue the journey together, to Merging With The His vision is that of a trailblazer: from bring your vision to fulfillment. True Self While Dying ........42 the beginning he has always taught us We will carry your projects, your ideas, clearly that the path of inner evolution is your endeavors forward and we will evolve Artists in the a path of personal responsibility. in every corner of the planet. Dzogchen Community ........48 At the conclusion of the first retreat of We will be with you again and again, for Dzogchen teachings, at Subiaco in the sum- many lives to come, until Supreme Reali- How I Met ...................50 mer of 1976, he explained his vision for our zation. future: This is your promise. Dzamling Gar Gönpa/ This is and will be our life. Conference Center Master, Rinpoche, thank you. Inauguration ................ 51 Front and back covers: Wall paintings from Lamayuru Gonpa in Ladakh, India. Photographer Dorjay Angdus Courtesy of Elio Guarisco THE MIRROR · No. 141 · September 2018 3 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Guru Padmasambhava – The Tibetan Book of the Dead and Vajrayana Presentation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead as Part of the Tibetan Cultural Week October 14–23, 2011 Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain First published in The Mirror issue 114, 2012. Revised in 2018 by Susan Schwarz. Photo by Lesya Cherenkova ood day to everybody and everywhere. Here we are at the Tibet, but of course the most important version is the one from University Hall in Laguna in Tenerife. I would like to give a Guru Padmasambhava. Glittle information about The Tibetan Book of the Dead be- cause it has become very famous in the Western world. Shitro That book is based on a teaching that was originally given by What does Shitro mean? First you should understand the title of Guru Padmasambhava, who was also the first to introduce Vajraya- this teaching. Shi means peaceful manifestation, tro means wrath- na in Tibet. The Buddhist tradition in Tibet actually started earlier ful manifestation. These wrathful and peaceful manifestations rep- than Guru Padmasambhava, but not Vajrayana in particular. The resent the condition of the individual. Everybody has that condi- ancient Tibetan king Trisong Detsen first invited a famous Indian tion. When we say “peaceful” it means that it represents mainly the pandit called Shantarakshita to Tibet. He was a well-known teach- mental condition, and also the real nature of the mind. Wrathful er of the Mahayana tradition, but when he arrived in Tibet and manifestations represent the function of our five senses and the started to teach, he could did not succeed in spreading Buddhism mind. For example, we have five senses, or organs of the senses, in Tibet because people were already following a tradition called then objects of the senses and their functions.