The Nyingma lineage is the oldest of the great Tibetan
Buddhist traditions. Lineage heads revered by the Nyingma were
responsible for bringing Buddhism from India to the "Land of the
Snows," and for the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet.
The Nyingma lineage traces its origin to the Indian
master, Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, who came
to Tibet in 817 C.E. at the invitation of the Tibetan King, Trisong
Detsen (742-797). In the eighth century, while the great buddhist
traditions were flourishing in India, King Trisong Detsen invited
the great Abbot Shantarakshita to establish buddhism in Tibet. The
King worked with Shantarakshita in establishing Buddhism, but they
soon faced hindrances to their work. At Shantarakshita's
suggestion, the King of Tibet invited Padmasambhava to Tibet,
requesting him to pacify the negative and obstructing forces.
Through his compassion and wisdom, Padmasambhava overcame these
obstacles, and genuine buddhism was successfully transplanted in
Tibet .
Together with the great bodhisattva, Abbot Shantarakshita,
Padmasambhava built the renowned Samyey monastery (in Southern
Tibet), which became a principal center of learning, where most of
the Sanskrit texts and literature from India were first translated
into Tibetan. Under the guidance of Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita,
and the Dharma King Trisong Detsen, the teachings of Buddha
Shakyamuni, and commentaries of the Indian masters of Nalanda
University and other places were fully translated into Tibetan at
Samye.
Masters Of Vajrayana
Guru Rinpoche was a Vajrayana master, and he taught widely
from the highest classes of tantra, the textual vehicles of the
Vajrayana. In particular, he transmitted these Vajrayana teachings
to his twenty-five principal disciples. These first Tibetan masters
became renowned for their spiritual accomplishments. The
continuous, unbroken transmission from Guru Rinpoche through these
principal disciples to their own disciples and so forth is called
Kama, the oral transmission lineage.
Padmasambhava also hid hundreds of scriptures, images and
ritual articles throughout Tibet. These items became known as
"Treasures," and were concealed in many different ways. At the same
time, Padmasambhava left precise instructions on how to discover
and reveal these treasures for the benefit of future generations.
Since that time, over a hundred masters have appeared who revealed
these Treasures and taught them to their disciples, in this way
continuing the lineage of Padmasambhava. The master who reveals
such treasure is known as the terton , or "treasure
revealer." This transmission from Guru Rinpoche through the tertons
is called the Terma, the revealed treasure lineage.
These lineages of revealed teachings include the Dzogchen, or Great
Completion, teachings taught by Garab Dorje, Shri Simha,
Padmasambhava, Jnanasutra, and Vimalamitra, and are known today in
Tibet as the Nyingma lineage.
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Lines Of Transmission
The Nyingma lineage identifies three specific lines of
transmission of the Vajrayana teachings of the tantras:
- the Thought Lineage of the Buddhas;
- the Symbolic Lineage of the Awareness Holders or Vidhyadharas;
and
- the Human Ear-whispered Lineage.
The lineage transmission that was carried by Padmasambhava
originated with the teachings of Samantabhadra, Vajrasattva and the
Prince Prahevajra or Garab Dorje, who transmitted the Dzogchen
Atiyoga teachings. The latter lived in India a few centuries after
the parinirvana (death) of the Buddha. Garab Dorje transmitted
those teachings to Manjusrimitra and from him to Shrisimha, and
then to the Indian-born teachers, Padmasambhava, Jnanasutra, and
Vimalamitra. They, together with the Tibetan-born teacher
Vairochana, received the transmission of this lineage directly from
the aforementioned lineage holders, and in turn transmitted and
brought the lineage and teachings to Tibet, thus commencing in
Tibet the lineage which continues to the present day.
The Nine Yana Path
Teachings of the Nyingma lineage classify the entire
Buddhist teachings into Nine Yanas or Vehicles. The Three
Common Vehicles: 1) Shravaka Yana, 2) Pratyekabuddha Yana, and 3)
the Bodhisattva Yana; the Three Outer Tantras of: 4) Kriya Tantra,
5) Upa or Charya Tantra, and 6) Yoga Tantra; finally, the Three
Innermost Tantras: 7) Mahayoga, 8) the Annuyoga, and 9) the
Atiyoga. The first six of these nine yanas or vehicles are common
to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, whereas the last three are
unique to the Nyingma lineage.
Nyingma Institutions In Tibet And
India
Initially, the lineage traditions of the Nyingma was based
less on institutional structures than on individual lineage
transmission, but the Nyingma lineage became more institutionalized
later in its history. Nyingma teachers began building great Nyingma
monastic centers in the 15th century. The most renowned centers are
the Six Great Seats of the Nyingma lineage, which consist of:
Central Tibet:
1) Mindrol Ling, founded in 1676;
2) Dorje Drak, founded in 1632;
Eastern Tibet:
3) Dzogchen, founded in 1685;
4) Shechen, founded in 1735;
Lower Eastern Tibet:
5) Kathok, founded in 1159;
6) Palyul, founded in 1665.
After 1959, masters who fled to India established their
traditional seats in exile and continue the unbroken lineage
teachings to this day. For example, Dzogchen Monastery was
reestablished in southern India. To learn more, go to the Dzogchen Monastery
website.
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