I have been incredibly fortunate in that I grew up with my father practicing and studying with a Mahayana Buddhist teacher from the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. For many years now, I have been a student of His Eminence Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche. Rinpoche is the thirty-third generation holder of the Dzogchen lineage, he is a lama of the Dzogchen Monastery, a Professor of the Dzogchen Shri Singha University, Spiritual Leader of Dzogchen Shri Singha International, Founder of the Dzogchen Shri Singha Dharma Centers, and Director of Dzogchen Shri Singha International Charitable Organizations. He has written more than thirty books on the five major sciences. He currently teaches Dharma and gives practice training to thousands of students, in more than forty countries around the world.

If you are new to The Dharma Notes, I would highly recommend reading them in the following order:

First, I recommend to anyone who is interested in Buddhism, that they become familiar with the most basic fundamental principles and vocabulary necessary to understand Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings. For that, at minimum you need the following:

Second, only after the most basic fundamental principles make sense, I recommend exploring these other questions:

About these Notes:

I do not know if anyone will find any benefit in reading these. And I certainly hope that I will not offend or upset anyone. I am posting them here mostly for my own benefit – as a way to organize my thoughts (literally, my past thinking and my personal notes from the many retreats that I have attended with my own teachers). With that said, it should be understood that these are not my personal ideas. To the best of my abilities, these notes are the direct transmissions, from my teachers and from their teachers, all the way back to Buddha Shakyamuni.

For more information about the unbroken living lineage of the Dzogchen Masters, go to: dzogchenlineage.com/lineage

The information contained in these notes is as close to the direct transmission of my lineage as I can get in a written form. Which brings up a very important point for me – Please do not think of these notes a “teachings.” A true transmission of the Dharma must take place between a qualified teacher and a ready and able student in an auspicious place and at an auspicious time. I have no delusion that this is such a format. If you are looking for such a teacher, then I would be very happy to help in any way that I can.

Having studied with and served Khenpo Choga Rinpoche for a while now, I have been extremely fortunate to connect with many advanced Dharma practitioners from all over the world. There is a good chance that one of his extraordinary students is already teaching in your area. You can find the location of established Dharma centers throughout the world by going to: dzogchenlineage.com/dharmacenters

If you find nothing of value here, then I apologize for wasting your precious time and I hope that you find what you are looking for elsewhere. If on the other hand, you find bits and pieces of useful information here, then I invite you to subscribe to these Notes. Either way, I wish you all the best – May you always have True happiness and the causes of True Happiness.

May these Notes serve as a beginning to a long and beneficial exchange.

May all virtuous aspirations swiftly be fulfilled.