Terton
Tertön (T. gter ton གཏེར་སྟོན་) is a Tibetan Buddhist term for a "treasure revealer" or "treasure-finder."
A terton is a highly-realized master that reveals hidden teachings and presents them at a spiritually efficacious time. In particular, this term is used widely in the Nyingma tradition, where it refers to individuals who, in a previous life, were students of the master Padmasambhava.[1] According to the Nyingma tradition, Padmasambhava and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal hid many teachings around Tibet that they foresaw would be beneficial to beings at a later time. The reincarnations of his students are able to find these hidden teachings, called "treasures" (T. terma), and reveal them to beings in the age when they are needed.[1]
In the Indian tradition, early precedents for this tradition can be found in figures like Nagarjuna, who revealed Prajnaparamita teachings that had been kept hidden in the realm of the Nagas.[1]
Notes
Further reading
- Jamgön Kongtrul, Life Stories of the Hundred Tertöns, Wyl. gter ston brgya rtsa'i rnam thar
- Tulku Thondup, Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of the Nyingma School of Buddhism (Boston: Wisdom, reprint edition 1997)
Tertön, Rigpa Shedra Wiki