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 advisers.
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 spent before 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 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 was also one of the founding members of the Shang Shung Institute in Italy.
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 followed the Santi Maha Sangha training and he became an authorized teacher of the Base Level, the First Level and the Second Level.
Since 2003 Elio has been actively engaged in the Ka-ter project of the Shang Shung Institute of Austria.
On November 27, 2020, Elio passed away due to COVID 19 pandemic.
Please read the long biography of Elio Guarisco
THANK YOU ELIO FOR ALL YOUR TIRELESS WORK YOU HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE DZOGCHEN COMMUNITY
See videos of and about Elio Guarisco in our VIDEO ARCHIVE
See an interview on YouTube that Elio gave on 2013 about his work as a translator