Kama, Terma and Pure Vision Lines of transmission
There are two main sources of transmission of the nine vehicles of the Nyingma lineage:
Kama and Terma (the ‘Distant Oral’ and the ‘Short Treasure lineages).
Another, and sometimes seen as a third form of transmission, is that of Dag Nang or ‘Pure Visions’.
The first, Kama, encompasses all nine vehicles, while the latter two, Terma and Dag Nang, are concerned primarily with the transmission of the Inner Tantras.
The Kama or ‘distant oral transmission lineage generally refers to the continuous, unbroken transmission of teachings brought to Tibet from India by Indian and Tibetan masters and transmitted directly through an unbroken line of disciples.
More specifically, ‘Nyingma Kama’ is a collection of teachings from the three Inner Tantras that are considered to have been translated into Tibetan during the early translation period.
Padmasambhava was a Vajrayana master, and he taught extensively from the highest classes of Tantra.
In particular, he transmitted these teachings to his twenty-five principal disciples.
These first Tibetan masters became renowned for their spiritual accomplishments, in turn passing on their knowledge to their own students and thus nurturing the seeds of a tradition that would continue, master to disciple down through the centuries.
Padmasambhava also saw that certain teachings would be particularly beneficial to future generations.
He therefore entrusted many teachings to King Trisong Detsen, Yeshe Tsogyal and others of his twenty-five main disciples, 'sealing' the instructions within their awareness.
With their assistance (especially that of his disciple and consort, Yeshe Tsogyal) he then also concealed these teachings as treasures in various places – rocks, lakes, temples, ritual objects and even in the sky.
Padmasambhava left precise instructions on how to discover these treasures and prophesied that, in the future, these disciples would reincarnate, reveal the treasures from their place of concealment and awaken the 'real treasure' of Padmasambhava's intent within their minds.
They would thus be empowered to disseminate the teachings for the sake of beings. Such treasures are called ‘ter’ or ‘terma’ and are said to possess unique power, introducing fresh and authentic instructions in times when they may be particularly helpful, and when other teachings and texts may have been corrupted over the centuries.
Terma teachings are considered to be the condensed quintessence of the Kama teachings, upon which they are based.
A reincarnate master who is destined to reveal such a treasure is known as a tertön (treasure-revealer).
This transmission from Guru Rinpoche through the tertöns is called the Terma or ‘Near Treasure lineage.
It is considered ‘near’ because instead of the long lineage transmission down through the centuries, the terma are a direct link between Padmasambhava, the tertöns and the times in which such teachings are discovered and disseminated.
Since the first tertön, Sangye Lama (1000–1080), right up until the present day there have been over a thousand tertöns.
Among these, the ‘Five Sovereign Tertöns' are
Nyang Ral Nyima Öser (1124–1192),
Guru Chöwang (1212-1270),
Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405),
Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) and
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892).
The ‘One Hundred Great Tertöns’ include:
Orgyen Lingpa (1323–c.1360),
Rigdzin Gödem (1337–1403),
Sangye Lingpa (1340–1396),
Karma Lingpa (14th. century),
Ratna Lingpa (1403–1478),
Thangtong Gyalpo (1385–1510),
Jatsön Nyingpo (1585–1656),
Lhatsün Namkha Jigme (1597–c.1650),
Ngawang Lobsang Gyamtso (Great Fifth Dalai Lama 1617–1682);
Terdak Lingpa (1646-1714),
Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (1729–1798) and
Chokgyur Lingpa (1829-1870).
The Profound Lineage of Pure Visions, or Dag Nang, is comprised of teachings and instructions received in the form of visions of Buddhas, deities or lineage masters.
The pure vision mode of transmission is sometimes considered to be a form of terma and therefore part of the (above) Terma Lineage.
However, this is only the case when the recipient is a tertön, actually receiving a terma through a pure vision.
