Translators

Elio Guarisco

Elio was born in Italy in Varese on the 5th of August 1954 and he grew up in Como. Elio studied Arts and received the degree of master of Arts before traveling to India to study Buddhism. On his return from India he moved to Switzerland where for ten years he learned Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy under one of the Dalai Lama's philosophical adviser.

Elio joined the Dzogchen community in 1986, when he received for the first time teaching from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.

Invited by the late Kalu Rinpoche, Elio spend almost twenty years in India working on the large Encyclopedia on Indo Tibetan Knowledge known as shes bya kun khyab authored by Kongtrul the Great, which has been published and is being published in separate books by Snow Lion Publications. During this time Elio kept up an active collaboration with the Dzogchen Community and especially with the Shang Shung Institute in Italy. He is also one of the founding members of the Shang Shung Institute.

Elio worked on various translations for the Shang Shung Institute in Italy including some books of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu related to Tibetan Medicines.

Elio has also actively followed the Santi Maha Sangha training, and he became an authorized teacher of the base and of the first level.

Since 2003 Elio has been actively engaged in the Ka-ter project of the Shang Shung Institute of Austria. Besides being the instructor of the Training for Translators from Tibetan he also works for the Dzogchen Tantra Translation Project.

Adriano Clemente

Adriano was born in Lecce, 5 January 1958 and he grew up in Naples.

In 1975 Adriano met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. He was part of the original group of students who received the first Dzogchen teachings in 1976 at the Palestra in Via Palasciano, Naples.

In 1976 he joined the University of Oriental Studies in Naples where he graduated in 1983 with a thesis on the Dzogchen Bonpo text DRAN PA GSER GDAMS by gShen sras lha rje (13th century). Since that time he started working on translations of Tibetan texts, mainly authored by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.

Apart from that, in the past Adriano also worked occasionally as a musician, and wrote the music on many poems by William Blake.
Adriano Clemente is the main person who works for the Dzogchen Translation Project "Complete works of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu" of the International Dzogchen Community.

Since 2003 Adriano Clemente has also worked for the Ka-ter Translation Project, especially for the Dzogchen Tantra Translation Project.

Jim Valby

Jim Valby was born on 3-Sep-1946 and grew up in Rochester, New York, USA where he attended Roman Catholic elementary & high schools. He graduated from Middlebury College with a Physics degree and worked as an engineer.

From 1971–1983 he attended graduate school while driving a school bus, programming computers, teaching violin and running a nuclear reactor.
He earned Masters & Doctorate degrees in Tibetan Buddhism focusing on Shrisingha, Vimalamitra and computers at the University of Saskatchewan under Professor Herbert Guenther.

In 1982 he participated in his first retreat with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Since 1989 he has lived in the Tsegyalgar area where he works on translations from Tibetan, transcripts of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu retreats, and other Dzogchen Community projects.

From 1999 to 2005 he led 44 Santi Maha Sangha (SMS) practice retreats. He is an authorized SMS instructor for Base and First levels.

Since 2003 he has also worked for the Ka-ter Translation Project.