Terma (Buddhism)
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| dzogchen Wylie: gter ma |
Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, originally esoterically secreted and/or elementally encoded by Guru Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times. As such, they represent the only tradition of continuing revelation in Buddhism. The majority of terma teachings are tantric in nature, although there are notable exceptions.
It is said that terma may be 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 or aether). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and some objects are hidden away, the teachings associated may be 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. As the tertön realise such a text, it is understood that the meaning may alter and change as the terma leavens or iterates the mindstream or consciousness of the tertön (the revealers and realisers of terma).
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 iteration of tantric processes, 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 Nyingmapa. Tertön are also prevalent in Bön and a few tertön have been Kagyu .
Padmasambhava and his principal consorts and disciples secreted away and elementally encoded 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 the heavens and underworld respectively, and have also been secreted and elementally encoded by teachers such as the great translator Longchenpa.
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[edit] Related Origins of Buddhist and Bön Tertönic Traditions
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 elementally encoded them as a terma. (A reciprocal discipleship may be inferred.) Though contentious, some sources also relate that Drenpa Namkha was the father of Padmasambhava.
[edit] Types of Terma
Terma may be traditionally understood as either being of the "earth" or of the "mind". 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 constitued by space or æther and are placed via guru-transmission, or realizations achieved in meditation and trance 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 elementally encoded in the element of space or æther and manifesting in the consciousness or mindstream of the practitioner, or the terma is a direct mindstream transmission from the vidyadhara. The terma may even 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 elemental encoding in the mindstream implies that the practitioner is to gain realisation in that life. At the time of terma elemental encoding , a prophecy is often 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.
[edit] Well-known Terma
| dzogchen Wylie: bar do thos grol |
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.
Another well-known Dzogchen cycle of texts, the Longchen Nyingtig, was revealed to tertön Jigme Lingpa in the 18th century.
[edit] Tertön
Many tertön were incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed through the ages. Nyingma scriptures were updated when the time was appropriate. Terma teachings have guided many Buddhist and Bön practitioners to realisation and enlightenment.
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), 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).
(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] Tertönic antecedents
The terma tradition has antecedents in India and cultural resonances in Vaishnavism, for example. Case in point, 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 Vaishnava saint Chaitanya rediscovered a fragment of the Brahma Samhita in a trance state of devotional ecstacy during his culturally rejuvenating sankirtan movement.
[edit] References
- Tulku Thondup Rimpoche: Hidden Teachings of Tibet, ISBN 0-86171-041-X
- Ricard, Matthiew (undated). Teachings: The Nyingma Lineage. From “Rabsel” Issue 5, Shechen Publications. Source: http://www.shechen.org/teach_nyima_mat.html (accessed: Tuesday, January 09, 2007)
