NYINGMAPA (rnying-ma-pa), Tib., lit. “School of the Ancients”; one of the four principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The school brings together the oldest Buddhist traditions of Tibet, which were brought to the country from India by Padmasambhava and the monks Vimalamitra and Vairochana in the 8th century. Since the 15th century there has existed an independent collection of these teachings, which, however, is not included in the official Tibetan canon (Kangyur-Tengyur). The Nyingmapas consider dzogchen to be the supreme doctrine; the systematization of the dzogchen teaching by Lonchenpa and his commentary on it are considered authoritative.
The early Nyingmapas were laymen as well as monks. They managed to maintain their tradition in spite of the persecution of Buddhism by Langdarma (836-42). In the 11th century the name nyingma (“old”) came into use to distinguish their school from the new schools that had developed by then. Three lineages of transmission are recognized in this school: the historical, direct, and visionary lineages.
The historical or kama (utterance), lineage includes all teachings that, stemming from Samantabhadra, were passed down in an uninterrupted transmission from teacher to disciple. Among these are the teachings of the three vehicles (yāna) that are peculiar to the Nyingmapa school: mahāyoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga (for the last of these, dzogchen).
The direct, or terma, lineage is associated with those transmissions that were hidden as texts by Padmasambhava, so that at the right time they could be rediscovered and taught anew. The Bardo thödol is one of the best-known terma works. Direct spiritual contact with teachers of past generations that result in empowerments for particular teachings constitute the visionary lineage. In this way Lonchenpa received the teachings of Padmasambhava.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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