Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was born in Derghe, eastern Tibet in 1938. As a child he was recognized as the reincarnation of the great Dzogchen Master, Adzom Drugpa (1842-1924), and later by the 16th Karmapa as a reincarnation of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651), the first Dharmaraja of Bhutan.
As a teenager Chögyal Namkhai Norbu completed the rigorous program of traditional studies, receiving teachings from some of the greatest masters of the time. In 1955 he met Changchub Dorje (1826-1961), his main Dzogchen teacher, whose lifestyle and way of teaching deeply inspired him.
In 1960, following the deterioration of the social and political situation in Tibet, he moved to Italy on the invitation of the well-known orientalist, Prof. Giuseppe Tucci. There, he contributed to giving a concrete stimulus to the spread of Tibetan culture in the West. In the early 1960s he worked at the Ismeo (Institute for the Middle and Extreme Orient) in Rome and later on, from 1962 to 1992, he taught Tibetan and Mongolian language and literature at the Instituto Universitario Orientale in Naples. His academic works reveal a profound knowledge of Tibetan culture and a steadfast determination to keep the extraordinary cultural heritage of Tibet alive and fully accessible.
After teaching Yantra Yoga in Naples for several years, in the mid 1970s Chögyal Namkhai Norbu started giving Dzogchen teachings, encountering a growing interest first in Italy and then throughout the West. In 1981 he founded the first center of the Dzogchen Community in Arcidosso, Tuscany. Over the years thousands of people from all over the world have become members of the Dzogchen Community. Centers have been created in the United States, in various parts of Europe, in Latin America, in Russia and in Australia.
In 1988 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu founded ASIA (Association for International Solidarity in ASIA), a non-governmental organization that is mainly active in meeting the educational and medical needs of the Tibetan population.
In 1989 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu founded the Shang Shung Institute, which has the task of safeguarding Tibetan culture by promoting and spreading it. Even today Chögyal Namkhai Norbu continues to travel constantly all over the world, giving talks and holding retreats attended by thousands of people.