Terma (Buddhism)

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Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, originally esoterically secreted, hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times, etc. As such, they represent a tradition of continuing revelation in Buddhism^{[citation needed]}. The majority of terma teachings are tantric in nature although there are notable exceptions.

Tradition holds that terma may be a physical object such as a text or ritual implement that is 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). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and sometimes objects are hidden away, the teachings associated should be understood as being 'concealed within the mind of the guru', that is, the true place of concealment is in the terton's mindstream. 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.^[1]

In this way, one may see the tradition of terma and tertön 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.

The terma tradition is particularly prevalent in, and significant to, the Nyingma lineage. Two of the most famous tertön in the 20th century, Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche were of the Nyingma school. Tertön are also prevalent in Bön and a few tertön have been Kagyu.

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. Out of this activity developed, especially within the Nyingma tradition, 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.

Terma have been relayed by naga and the dakini, of underworld and the heavens respectively, and have also been hidden by teachers such as the great translator Longchenpa.

[edit] Antecedents

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.

[edit] Types of Terma

Fremantle (2001: p.17) affirms that according to tradition:

Termas are of two main kinds: earth treasures and intention, or 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.^[2]

Padmakara in this text is another name of Padmasambhava

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.

(NB: Pure visions are pure teachings received from the vision of deities and are not necessarily terma as they do not require mindstream transmission from a vidyadhara to the practitioner experiencing the pure vision. The esoteric teachings resulting from pure vision are based on the tantras and are sometimes attributed as terma due to their merit.)

[edit] Relation to Bön Terma

Drenpa Namkha (dran pa nam mkha') was an influential Bönpo who studied with Padmasambhava and became his disciple. Drenpa Namkha offered numerous Bönpo teachings to Padmasambhava who then hid them as a terma.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 Lingpa and Dudjom Rinpoche.

[edit] Tertön

A tertön is one who finds terma. 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.

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

Five of them were widely recognized as very important ones and called the five terton kings:^{[citations needed]}

• Tertons
• 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.

Fremantle (2001: p.19) states that:

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.^[3]

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).

The "seal" of all tertons is said to have been Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892). In one of his visions, he could clearly see all the terma that were hidden throughout Tibet and other countries. He was the only master in Tibetan history to have not only received, but also transmitted the "seven transmissions" (bka' babs bdun), that are the canonical teachings, treasures taken from the earth, reconcealed treasures, mind treasures, recollections, pure visions, and aural transmissions received in visions. (Ricard, undated).

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Dargyay, Eva M. (author) & Wayman, Alex (editor)(1998). The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet. Second revised edition, reprint.Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd. Buddhist Tradition Series Vol.32. ISBN 81-208-1579-3 (paper)
• Fremantle, Francesca (2001). Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Shambhala Publications, Inc. ISBN 1-57062-450-X
• Gyatso, Janet (1986). `Signs, memory and history: a Tantric Buddhist theory of scriptural transmission.' JIABS 9,2: 7-35.
• Tulku Thondup Rimpoche: Hidden Teachings of Tibet, ISBN 0-86171-041-X
• 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)