The Nyingma

[Yudron]

IMHO I feel it needs to be stated in proper context why "Guru Rinpoche is the towering central figure of the Nyingma tradition today" when presenting the Nyingma, otherwise we can be seen as some sub group following an off shoot branch of Buddhadharma.

Please correct me if I present things wrongly, but I believe it first it needs to be clearly stated that Guru Rinpoche is a direct emanation of Amitabha Buddha. And to put Amitabha Buddha in context in needs to be stated that the Amitabha Sutra was the one sutra Shakyamuni Buddha taught without it being requested because of the huge store of merit Amitabha Buddha accumulated in relation to the beings of this eon. So to me, Shakyamuni Buddha, in teaching the Amitabha Sutra was clearly outlining the context within which Guru Rinpoche would manifest.

It also needs to be stated that Guru Rinpoche will come as the Dharma Regent to all the 1000 Buddhas of this fortunate aeon, and He will teach the Vajrayana to fortunate beings, even if the universal Buddha does not, so He doesn't just pop up as a one off in the time of Shakyamuni Buddha.

I think this foreknowledge helps put Guru Rinpoche in much clearer and proper context for the whole of the Buddhadharma, and also why He is so significant in the Nyingma, and thus why us Nyingmapas have such reverence for Guru Rinpoche and the power of his Dharma for beings of this age. It also helps Pure Land Mahayanists have some appreciation of Nyingma as their Dharma brothers and sisters.

That's a nice approach, not usually expressed by Nyingma lamas in my experience. It is definitely said that Amitabha is the Dharmakaya, Chenrezi he Sambogakaya and Pedmasambhava the Nirmankaya.

[pemachophel]

"Guru Rinpoche will come as the Dharma Regent to all the 1000 Buddhas of this fortunate aeon, and He will teach the Vajrayana to fortunate beings, even if the universal Buddha does not, so He doesn't just pop up as a one off in the time of Shakyamuni Buddha."

I've been a Nyingmapa for 40+ tears and didn't know this. How wonderful! Thanks for sharing this with us. This really makes me happy.

[conebeckham]

I agree that it's not the usual approach, but there are valid points for sure with that approach.

I think the central role of Guru Padmasambhava stems from the fact that without his ability to tame Tibet, the practice of Dharma would not have lasted there. Both Nyingmapas, and Sarmapas, owe a huge debt to Padmasambhava in this regard. If he had not pinned the demons, so to speak, the whole concept of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism wouldn't exist. I think his influence is also central in the predominance of Tantra and Vajrayana in Tibetan lineages, not just amongst Nyingmapas, as well. Shantarakshita and the King NEEDED him. Tibet NEEDED that kind of practice.

[Yeti]

I agree that it's not the usual approach, but there are valid points for sure with that approach.

I think the central role of Guru Padmasambhava stems from the fact that without his ability to tame Tibet, the practice of Dharma would not have lasted there. Both Nyingmapas, and Sarmapas, owe a huge debt to Padmasambhava in this regard. If he had not pinned the demons, so to speak, the whole concept of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism wouldn't exist. I think his influence is also central in the predominance of Tantra and Vajrayana in Tibetan lineages, not just amongst Nyingmapas, as well. Shantarakshita and the King NEEDED him. Tibet NEEDED that kind of practice.

Really good point. It's fortunate just to contemplate just a little of Guru Rinpoche's blessings. Emaho! Geez, sometimes I just wonder with what immensity HH Dudjom Rinpoche, HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and so on and so on perceived Him.

[Yeti]

"Guru Rinpoche will come as the Dharma Regent to all the 1000 Buddhas of this fortunate aeon, and He will teach the Vajrayana to fortunate beings, even if the universal Buddha does not, so He doesn't just pop up as a one off in the time of Shakyamuni Buddha."

I've been a Nyingmapa for 40+ tears and didn't know this. How wonderful! Thanks for sharing this with us. This really makes me happy.

Always nice to see a fellow Nyingmapa shed 40+ tears of inspirational joy

[Namgyal]

Thankyou for this beautiful summary of the Nyingma...the only thing I would add is that the Nyingma also serves as a catch-all for numerous tiny and independent traditions that do not fall into any other category. A famous professor once pointed out to me that the totally isolated valleys in Tibet sometimes preserved some very strange Buddhist traditions. It is possible for a school to be Nyingma and yet not correspond to a single feature that you have described, or even one that you would recognise, apart from independence and secrecy. So I would say that the single unifying feature is not deities and practices, but rather this very determined sense of independence, which maintains brotherly relations with all the other Tibetan schools, but completely goes its own way.

[Yudron]

Thankyou for this beautiful summary of the Nyingma...the only thing I would add is that the Nyingma also serves as a catch-all for numerous tiny and independent traditions that do not fall into any other category. A famous professor once pointed out to me that the totally isolated valleys in Tibet sometimes preserved some very strange Buddhist traditions. It is possible for a school to be Nyingma and yet not correspond to a single feature that you have described, or even one that you would recognise, apart from independence and secrecy. So I would say that the single unifying feature is not deities and practices, but rather this very determined sense of independence, which maintains brotherly relations with all the other Tibetan schools, but completely goes its own way.

I have heard this, and I don't doubt it. My limited personal experience with terma traditions--Dudjom Tersar, Longchen Nyingthig, Konchog Chidu, and Kunsang Dechen Lingpa's termas, is that they appear different at first, but really are quite uniform when one looks deeper. But, I haven't been to the hidden valleys of Tibet yet.