An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
MYSTICAL REVELATIONS occur in virtually all of the world's religions.
On numerous occasions throughout the world, sacred texts and material objects have appeared miraculously to sages and saints. Among the most remarkable of these revelatory traditions is the terma tradition of Tibet. In this tradition, termas, or treasures, are hidden by buddhas and other realized beings to be rediscovered at the appropriate moment by realized masters who have the mystical vision necessary to see them.
Sometimes the termas are hidden in such unlikely places as a lake, the sky, or even a disciple's mind. These hidden teachings manifest at unpredictable times and places when sentient beings are in need of their wisdom. As such, the discovery of a terma always creates a fresh opportunity for spiritual renewal.
This significant book is the first of its kind to be published in the West. In it, the renowned Buddhist teacher Tulku Thondup tells the story of the special terma tradition initiated by Padmasambhava, the great ninth-century Indian Buddhist saint who established Buddhism in Tibet.
Hidden Teachings of Tibet, Tulku Thondup, Wisdom Publications, $18.95
Tulku Thondup author and teacher, was born in East Tibet and studied at the famed Dodrupchen Monastery. In 1958 he settled in India, where he taught at Indian universties for many years. He came to the United States in 1980 as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. For the past two decades he lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaging in translation and writing on Tibetan Budhism, particularly the Nyingma teachings, under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. Among his books are The Healing Power of Mind, which has been published in seventeen languages, and Boundless Healing, in twelve languages.
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