Mission

Aware of the risk to lose the precious heritage that Tibetan culture represents, the Shang Shung Institute has always focused on promoting all initiatives that are aimed at spreading and deepening knowledge of Tibetan culture and to ensure its survival.

The Shang Shung Institute is a cultural non-profit association without political aims.

The Shang Shung Institute Austria is a branch of the main Institute in Italy and its mission is to promote research and scholarship in Tibetan Buddhism and advance the preservation of the Tibetan cultural heritage by making its literary tradition widely available in the form of correct translations and digital images.

Another aspect of the work of the Institutes are their libraries which contain invaluable Tibetan texts which cover not only Buddhist and Dzogchen Teachings but also Tibetan Culture. The most comprehensive library is found at the Shang Shung Institute in Italy. The other seats of the Institute also have a good collection of books as well as videos, DVDs and CDs of Tibetan culture.

Enormous effort has also gone into digitalizing the Teachings of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu over the last 35 years. This is to ensure that these precious Teachings are not lost through the deterioration of the audio-tapes.

The different programs of the Shang Shung Institute adhere to its fundamental aim, which is to deepen the knowledge and the understanding of traditional Tibetan culture through its different aspects: historical, philosophical, medical, artistic, social and religious.