The tireless teaching activity of the autor Namkhai Norbu (1938- 2018) was not based on some missionary sense, an effort of trying to promote a philosophy or a religion, an attempt to convince, instruct, indoctrinate. It was rather the opposite: as he used to explain with great clarity, upholding a certain
philosophy or preaching a religious system, trying to convince people with assumptions of faith or axioms and logics, is just a kind of conditioning. Another conditioning adding to the many layers already present in each of us. Conditioning in fact happens throughout all our lives, through the actions of our parents, society, education systems and so on. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this process, it might be useful for living in a particular social environment, however we need to realize that all conditioning is relative and limiting.
Namkhai Norbu explained that after having understood this, we have the possibility to turn our attention not to a new belief system but to directly discover our nature that exists beyond all relative conditioning.
This very nature is what is called Dzogchen, a Tibetan word that can be translated as the Total Perfection which is our true and innate condition. The Sanskrit word Atiyoga, meaning primordial knowledge, is a synonym of it.
“It is really difficult to summarize Namkhai Norbu’s life and works in a few words. His more tangible legacy is made up of the many centers he contributed to setting up around the world in the course of his life, where his teachings are kept alive and applied by many students and interested people. The Dzogchen teaching lives in any individual interested to apply it, beyond any ideological, philosophical or even geographical limitations. In these centers many activities are being continuously organized, concerning meditation, yoga, sacred dance, medicine and arts. They are a veritable treasure for developing our wellbeing to which we warmly invite everyone to take part”
Monica Gentile from the foreword in Namkhai Norbu “Opening our minds” Atiyoga Public Talks Series
