The Terma Foundation

Tradition holds that a terma may be a physical object such as a text or a ritual implement that is buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb, or a tree, or hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). In short, the literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure". As sometimes these 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 tertön's inner mindstream. Accordingly, one can say that it is as much concealed in the Terton own practice evolvment. 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 such , termas maybe what they may be and in so many embodiment forms , that they are therefore not always immediately apparent, cognicient or made open to the hierarchy or public. The conditions may not be right; the people may not yet be ready for them; further instructions may need to be revealed to clarify their meaning, the lineage itself may be in transmutation. Often also, the tertön himself has to practice them indepth, the tertön's inner mindstream, for many years..

In this way, one may see the tradition of terma and terton are analogous to that of inspiration and providing a legitimate cultural forum to ensure continuation of tantric tradition, and ensuring Tibetan Buddhism's and Bön's continued relevancy in an evolving world. The Grail Quest is not different...

A the Tertön new Tulku may indeed be reborn as per the needs of times. The terma tradition is particularly prevalent in, and significant to, the Nyingma lineage. Two of the most famous tertön in the 20th century, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (2nd Dudjom Rinpoche) and Dilgo Khyentse, were Nyingmapa. Tertön are also prevalent in Bön and a few tertön have been Kagyupa. They may obviously be more Tertön Tulkus on their way down to Earth...

Padmasambhava and his principal consorts and disciples secreted away and hid religious texts, ritual objects and relics etc., to secure and protect Buddhism during the time of decline under Langdarma. Some of these termas 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 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 Khenkong Choksum referring to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul and Orgyen Chokgyur Lingpa.

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

Types of Terma according to the 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 fulfil 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 of 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 nāgas, who had been guarding them at the bottom of a lake. Similarly, the Six Treatises of Asanga are considered to have been conferred on him by the Buddha Maitreya, whom he visited in Tushita heaven during a vision.

"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.

CAIRN

The parent organization of the Termas Foundation is CAIRN Consortium Professional Doctorate School / International Foundation (1997-2015 EU-NGo), a high educational institution (HEI) dedicated to promoting awareness in East/West Cultural Immersion and therefore promoting, amongst other initiatives, the preservation of  True Terma' s heritage and lineages as may be found nowadays in sacred powerplaces, both in the East and West, as per self- arising experience...

Termas Cultural Immersion Research and related Curriculum Development focus upon the Tigle and other Tsa-Rlung / Body of Light Practices, Guru Yoga, Arts & Healing, including the related comparative structural and philosophical study of philosophies and hermeneutics there related.

In bringing the teachings of authentic Termas (Nyingma) Tertons lineages to the West, CAIRN realized that such Western research framework must benefit from an experiential and intensive integrated approach in a relevant practices and pedagogy context and in a way that explores also the modern livestyles and the background Western mythological assumptions, part of the psyche.

The CAIRN Modules are the reflection of the currently attempted Shedras system reform linked to Quantum Sciences, Psychology, Arts & Healing and  modern HRD curricula. Students will be immerged in high energy context to combine the study of key commentaries on practices with the self-arising events of higher consciousness embodiment. In this sense, both Music, Arts, Healing and Contemplation are merged within the related HRD management analytical skills.

In this way, ideological and structural misconceptions may be revealed, studied and clarity sharpened.

CAIRN (Center for Advanced Integrated Research in Noetic) is open to all who are interested in deepening their study and practices of  the Keltic Mythology with Buddhism Tantras and other Body of Light sacred Yogas practices.

RWL (c) September 2015

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