Terma (religion)

Lore & Background

Terma may be physical objects such as texts or ritual implements buried in the ground, hidden in rock, crystal, herb, tree, water, or sky. Though a literal understanding is "hidden treasure," the teachings are concealed within the mind of the guru—the true place of concealment is in the tertön's nature of mind. If the concealed teaching is a text, it is often written in dakini script, a non-human code that only a tertön can decipher. Termas are of two main kinds: earth treasures and intention (or mind) treasures. Earth treasures include texts, sacred images, ritual instruments, and medicinal substances found in temples, monuments, statues, mountains, rocks, trees, lakes, and even the sky. Intention treasures appear directly within the tertön's mind in the form of sounds or letters. The tertön composes and writes down the resulting text, and may be considered its author. The terma tradition has antecedents in India and cultural resonances in Hindu Vaishnavism. The central Mahayana figure Nagarjuna rediscovered the last part of the "Prajnaparamita Sutra in one hundred thousand verses" in the realm of nāga, where it had been kept since the time of Gautama Buddha.

Reader's Guide

The terma tradition is particularly prevalent in and significant to the Nyingma lineage. Two of the most famous 20th-century tertöns, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (2nd Dudjom Rinpoche) and Dilgo Khyentse, were Nyingmapa. Tertön are also prevalent in Bon traditions and a few tertön are Kagyupa. The hidden teachings secured and protected Buddhism during the time of persecution under Langdarma. Out of this activity developed two ways of dharma transmission: the long oral transmission from teacher to student in unbroken lineages, and the short transmission of terma. The foremost revealers were the Five Terton Kings and the Eight Lingpas. In the 19th century, the most famous three were Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul, and Orgyen Chokgyur Lingpa. One of the most famous terma known throughout the world is the Bardo Thodol ("Liberation by Hearing in the State of Bardo"), popularly known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, revealed by Karma Lingpa.

Did You Know?

• Terma teachings were originally concealed by eighth-century masters Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal.
• Termas may be physical objects or teachings concealed within the mind of the guru.
• The Bardo Thodol, known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, is a famous terma revealed by Karma Lingpa.
• The tradition has antecedents in India, including Nagarjuna's rediscovery of a Prajnaparamita sutra from the nāga realm.