Terma (Buddhism)

Terma ("hidden treasure") are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, originally hidden by various adepts such as Guru Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times. Padmasambhava and his principal consorts and disciples secreted away and hidden scriptures, ritual objects and relics etc., to secure and protect Buddhism during the time of decline under King Langdarma. Some of these terma have been rediscovered and special terma lineages established throughout Tibet as a result. The majority of terma teachings are tantric in nature and they represent a tradition of "continuing revelation" in Buddhism. In this way, one may see the tradition of terma as analogous to that of inspiration and providing a legitimate cultural forum to ensure continuation of tantric tradition, and ensuring Vajrayana Buddhism's and Bön's continued relevancy in an evolving world.

A terma may be an object such as a text or ritual implement that was buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb or a tree, hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). Some terma teachings are understood as being encoded within the elements, particularly æther or space. If the concealed or encoded teaching or object is a text, it is often written in dakini script: a non-human type of code or writing.

Fremantle (2001: p.19) states:

...termas are not always made public right away. The conditions may not be right; people may not yet be ready for them; and further instructions may need to be revealed to clarify their meaning. Often, the tertön himself [sic.] has to practice them for many years.

A tertön is one who finds terma. The terma tradition is particularly prevalent in, and significant to, the Nyingma lineage.

History

The terma tradition has antecedents in India and cultural resonances in Hindu Vaishnavism as well. The central Mahayana figure Nagarjuna rediscovered the last part of the "Prajnaparamita-Sutra in one hundred thousand verses" in the realm of naga, where it had been kept since the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. The Hindu Vaishnava saint Chaitanya is said to have rediscovered a fragment of the Brahma Samhita in a trance state of devotional ecstacy. So the tradition of rediscovering hidden teaching in not unique to Tibet

Guru Padmasambhava predicted that in the future hundreds of tertons will spread his teachings. Throughout the centuries many more people were known as tertons.

According to generally accepted history, the rediscovering of terma began with the first tertön, Sangye Lama (1000–1080). Tertön of outstanding importance were Nyangral Nyima Oser (1124–1192), Guru Chowang (1212–1270), Rigdzin Godem (1307–1408), Pema Lingpa (1450–1521), Migyur Dorje (1645–1667), Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) and Orgyen Chokyur Lingpa (1829–1870).

It is noted that those who discover Terms have particular characteristics:

"One of the special requirements for the discovery of termas is the inspiration of the feminine principle, just as it was necessary for their concealment. The great majority of tertön's have been men, and generally they are accompanied by their wives or female companions (who need not necessarily have a sexual relationship with them). Alternatively, something representing the tertön's complementary energy, whether male or female, must be present."

Many tertön are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed. Nyingma scriptures were updated by terma discoveries and terma teachings have guided many Buddhist and Bön practitioners. Two of the most famous tertön in the 20th Century, Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche were of the Nyingma school.

Five of them were widely recognized as very important ones and called the five terton kings:

• Nyang Ral Nyima Özer (1124-1192)
• Guru Chökyi Wangchuk (1212-1270)
• Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405)
• Pema Lingpa (1445/50-1521)
• Padma Ösel Do-ngak Lingpa (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo) (1820-1892)

Another noteworthy terton is Tsangpa Gyare, founder of the Drukpa Kagyu order.

Out of this activity developed two ways of dharma transmission: The so called "long oral transmission" from teacher to student in unbroken disciplic lineages and the "short transmission" of terma.

The foremost revealers of these terma were the Five Terton Kings and the Eight Lingpas. In the 19th century some of the most famous were the Khen Kong Chok Sum referring to Jamyang Khyentse, Jamgon Kongtrul and Chokgyur Lingpa.

Types of Terma

According to tradition, there are two kinds of termas: earth treasures and mind treasures

A teaching concealed as an intention treasure appears directly within the mind of the tertön in the form of sounds or letters to fulfill the enlightened intention of Padmakara. Earth treasures include not only texts, but also sacred images, ritual instruments, and medicinal substances, and are found in many places: temples, monuments, statues, mountains, rocks, trees, lakes, and even the sky. In the case of texts, they are not, as one might imagine, ordinary books that can be read straightaway. Occasionally, full-length texts are found, but they are usually fragmentary, sometimes consisting of only a word or two, and they are encoded in symbolic script, which may change mysteriously and often disappears completely once it has been transcribed. They are simply the material supports that act as a trigger to help the tertön reach the subtle level of mind where the teaching has really been concealed. It is the tertön who actually composes and writes down the resulting text, and so may be considered its author.

The earth-terma are physical objects — which may be either an actual text, or physical objects that trigger a recollection of the teaching. The mind-terma are constituted by space and are placed via guru-transmission, or realizations achieved in meditation which connect the practitioner directly with the essential content of the teaching in one simultaneous experience. Once this has occurred, the tertön holds the complete teaching in mind and is required by convention to transcribe the terma twice from memory (if of textual nature) in one uninterrupted session. The transcriptions are then compared and if no discrepancy or inconsistency is evident, the terma is sealed as authentic. The tertön is required to realise the essence of the terma prior to formal transmission.

In one sense, all terma may be considered as mind-terma as the teaching associated is always inserted in the mind the practitioner, in other words the terma is always a direct mindstream transmission from the vidyadhara. The terma may also be held in the mindstream of the tertön and realised in a future incarnation at a beneficent time. A vision of a syllable or symbol may leaven the realisation of the latent terma in the mindstream of the tertön. The process of hiding in the mindstream implies that the practitioner is to gain realisation in that life. At the time of terma concealment, a prophecy is generally made concerning the circumstances in which the teaching will be re-accessed. Especially in the case of an earth-terma, this usually includes a description of locality, and may specify certain ritual tools or objects which are required to be present, and the identities of any assistants and consorts who are required to accompany or assist the tertön.

Though somewhat contentious, the kind of revealed teaching embodied in the terma system is based in solid Mahayana Buddhist traditions. The example of Nagarjuna is often cited; the Prajnaparamita teachings are traditionally said to have been conferred on Nagarjuna by the King of the nagas, who had been guarding them at the bottom of a lake. Similarly, the Six Treatise of Asanga are considered to have been conferred on him by the Buddha Maitreya, whom he visited in Tushita heaven during a vision.

Prominent Terma cycles

One of the most famous terma known throughout the world is a text popularly (but incorrectly) known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The correct title is Bardo Thodol, Liberation by Hearing in the State of Bardo. As a set of funerary texts and practices, it had a very specialized utility. Among other famous terma cycles are:

• Longchen Nyingtig (Heart Essence of Longchenpa) Another well-known Dzogchen cycle of texts, , was revealed to tertön Jigme Lingpa in the 18th century.
• Rinchen Terdzod (Precious Treasures) Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, and Chogyur Dechen Lingpa assembled thousands of Terma treasure texts from the Nyingma tradition all across Tibet, creating the 108 volumes of the Rinchen Terdzod.
• Jangter (Wylie: Byang gTer, Northern Treatures) revealed by Rigdzin Godem. Features the prominent sub-cycle, the Konchok Chidu revealed by the terton Jatson Nyingpo and widely practiced in Kagyu lineages as well.
• Chokling Tersar (New Treasures) revealed by Chogyur Dechen Lingpa.

Minor Terma cycles

• Nam Cho (Space Treasures) transmissions and empowerments are considered the heart transmission specific to the Palyul Lineage. These teachings were revealed as terma to the 17th century Terton, Migyur Dorje, and were expanded upon by his root teacher, Karma Chagme Rinpoche (the great Kagyu master).
• Dudjom Tersar encompasses all the terma revelations of Dudjom Rinpoche in the 19th century.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Fremantle, Francesca (2001). Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Shambhala Publications, Inc. ISBN 1-57062-450-X
• Low, James. (2006). "Being Guru Rinpoche: A Commentary on Nuden Dorje's Terma Vidyadhara Guru Sadhana". Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1412084079
• Ricard, Matthieu (undated). Teachings: The Nyingma Lineage. From “Rabsel” Issue 5, Shechen Publications. Source: http://www.shechen.org/teach_nyima_mat.html (accessed: Tuesday, January 9, 2007)
• Rinpoche, Tulku Thondrup. (1986). "Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of the Nyingma School of Buddhism". Wisdom Pubns. ISBN 978-0861710416
• Thondup, Tulku. (1997). "Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism". Wisdom Publications. ISBN 978-0861711222

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