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THE NYINGMA TRADITION
The first Buddhist tradition to establish itself in Tibet traces its origins back to the Indian pandita,
Guru Padmasambhava, popularly known as Guru Rinpoche. He came to Tibet in the year 817 CE at the
invitation of King Trisong Detsen in order to subdue the evil forces that were hindering the establishment
of Buddhism in Tibet.
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The great Indian abbot Shantarakshita was already in Tibet, and upon
facing these resilient opposing forces suggested to the king to invite the
tantric Padmasambhava to Tibet. Once in Tibet, Guru Rinpoche was able to
bind the hostile spirits of many regions by oath, and from then onwards
Buddhism spread in Tibet. Before the arrival of Guru Rinpoche,
only a few texts and lineages of the Buddhist teachings existed in Tibet,
and no organized monastic community. Together with Shantarakshita,
he established the first monastery, Samye, and this became the principal
center of learning. In order to introduce the foundations of sutra and
mantra teachings, the king ordered the translation of the Buddhist doctrine
from Sanskrit into Tibetan. Thus was Tibet’s vast Buddhist literature
initiated. For the next two centuries this became the only Buddhist tradition
in Tibet, until the 11th century when a new wave and set of teachings and
translations, again inspired by and based on Indian sages, was brought to
Tibet. This is why, retrospectively, this first period of translations,
is called the Old, or in Tibetan Nyingma, and the adepts following this first
phase Nyingmapa.
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After having subdued the adverse spirits in different regions, Guru Rinpoche widely gave teachings and
transmissions of tantras, particularly to his twenty-five main disciples. Some disciples, such as the female
consort Yeshe Tsogyal, became renowned for their spiritual attainments, whereas others, such as
Vairocana, were extraordinary translators. Among these twenty-five disciples were the first seven Tibetan
Buddhist monks. After the monastic tradition had been established, other contemporary Indian masters
such as Vimalamitra, Shantipa also came to Tibet and spread tantric teachings, while Vairocana was sent
to India to study the Great Perfection under Sri Simha. Although the study of logic and Buddhist
philosophy was not yet prevalent, the practice of tantra in extreme secrecy was much favored.
Seeing that most of the disciples were not ready or were unable to understand the depth of the teachings,
and in order to insure a continuation of the tradition in the near and distant future, Guru Rinpoche and his
most accomplished disciples hid hundreds of texts, relics and transmissions. When accomplished masters
later rediscovered these artifacts and texts at the appropriate times, they became revealed treasures, the
so-called termas. These termas were subsequently revealed by several hundred masters and taught to
their disciples. This is why in the Nyingma school the tantric teachings are transmitted in two major
systems: the long transmission which was passed from teacher to student through an uninterrupted
lineage since the time of Guru Rinpoche, and the short lineages of the Termas.
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Most Nyingma scholars agree that Guru Padmasambhava stayed in Tibet for 55 years and 6 months,
during which he taught extensively and did retreats in solitary places and caves all over the Himalayas.
It is said that the master Padmasambhava then left Tibet for the mystic
land of Camaradvipa, the
‘Copper-colored Mountain’, where he still resides.
After the departure of Guru Rinpoche, the Buddhist tradition flourished in Tibet. During the reign of
Ralpachen, an edict was issued demanding every seven households to support one monk. Besides this
many temples were built. Following the demise of Ralpachen, his elder brother Langdarma took over
and persecuted the doctrine until he was assassinated. Following kings revived the Buddhist tradition.
The history, development and succession of the lineages of the Nyingmapa are very closely related to
the subsequent revelations of the treasure texts. Each master would transmit the revealed Termas to his
disciples, who then passed these ‘new’ transmissions on. Among the hundreds of masters who have
revealed treasures, the most important are the ‘Five Kings of the Treasure Masters’: Nyangral Nyima
Öser (1124-92), Guru Chowang (1212-70), Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405), Pema Lingpa (1450-?), and
Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892). Their revealed treasures contain complete cycles of teachings,
empowerments and meditations.
Since some of the transmission lineages were revealed a long time ago and some more recently, termas
are classified as being of a distant and a close lineage. Within the Nyingma tradition, there have been
many great lamas and treasure revealers up to this day: among the recent treasure revealers are
Terdag Lingpa, the founder of Mindroling monastery, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Jigme Lingpa,
Chogyur Decen Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, Patrul Rinpoche,
Mipham Rinpoche, and in recent times Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-87) and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
(1910-91). Along with great tantric practitioners who meditated and revealed treasures, the Nyingmapa
tradition also has had many great scholars. Among the most eminent lamas and writers were Longchen
Rabjam (1308-1363), Minling Terchen (1646-1714), his brother Minling Lochen Shakya Shri (1654-1718),
and Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912). Longchen Rabjam was a yogi, a scholar without comparison and the
supreme scholar of the Nyingmapa. In his writings he was able to explain the most profound and difficult
teachings and the practice of the nine vehicles in a clear and lucid manner. He wrote many commentaries
and organized all the termas revealed up to his time in the important ‘Collection of a Hundred Thousand
Nyingmapa Tantras’. His main and most sacred writings are known as the Seven Great Treasures
(Dzö dün), Three Cycles of Relaxation (Ngalso Korsum), Three Cycles for Natural Liberation
(Rangdröl Korsum), and the Three Inner Essences (Yangtig Namsum).
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Besides Samye in Central Tibet, the oldest monastic institution, there were no large Nyingma
monasteries until the 12th century when Surupa Monastery in central Tibet and Kathok monastery (1159)
in Kham were built. From the 15th century onwards though, the following great monastic universities
were built, and are considered the main monasteries of the Nyingma school: Mindroling (1676) and
Dorje Drag (1659) in central Tibet; Palyul (1665), Dzogchen (1685) and Shechen (1735) in Kham
province; and Dodrupchen in Amdo. Most of these major monasteries had branches and temples in other
parts of Tibet.
In the 19th century, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the five kings of treasure revealers, together with
Jamgön Kongtrul, Patrul Rinpoche and Shabkar Rinpoche initiated a non-sectarian movement. This
movement came to be known as Rimey. These lamas, themselves all authentic masters, scholars and
accomplished yogis, gathered teachings from all areas of Tibet and from masters of all traditions. This
movement came during a time when many spiritual lineages were on the verge of extinction, was a
response to a very narrow interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine where sectarianism and feuds were
dominant, and had a very strong impact on the integrity and vigor of Tibetan Buddhism. Also it saved it
from sinking into a quagmire of doctrinal contention, far removed from spiritual realization and pure
perception. Their heritage still benefits all traditions until this day. The essential teachings were compiled
into major collections, such as Jamgön Kongtrul’s Five Great Treasures, and the Treasury of Rediscovered
Teachings (Rinchen Terdzö) in sixty-three volumes.
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