Do any Nyingmapas practice Kama teachings anymore?

[Luke]

Hello dear Nyingmapas,

I always hear about people practicing all kinds of Terma teachings. Do any Nyingmapas still practice the Kama teachings (the oral teachings which have been passed down since the very beginning of the Nyingma school)?

http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Kama

Are the Terma teachings generally considered to be "superior" or are both Kama and Terma practices considered to be equally effective?

[Pero]

Good question. From my understanding the idea is to practice the terma teachings and study the kama teachings. Reason being that kama teachings come through a long lineage and with that come problems in the transmission, while terma teachings are a short lineage and hence pure. So in that sense terma teachings are superior. And also I think terma teachings appear in the time they are needed and in which they can be of most benefit.

[mmm]

Hi, of course in nyingma kama teachings are still practices. It is said that kama is like a pillar and terma is like an ornament. For example some monasteries practise Tsog chen dupa from Anuyoga for some special days or they perform ritual dances from this tradition. And I have heard in Nepal there are meditators who practise Longde. And of course Guhyagarbha is still being thought and practiced. And also other deities from 8 Kagye from sadhana section of mahayoga, such as Yamantaka, Hayagriva, Phurba etc. But it is true that terma teachings are being practiced much more than kama. Good bye and with kind regards,m.

[narraboth]

Kama lineage and Terma lineage combined in many cases.
If you read Namcho text, it always says:
this is a combination of Kama, Terma, and pure vision.

We couldn't say when a lineage is combined with terma, then it's not kama anymore, could we?

And the essence is the same anyway! Like you can surely use those great commentaries on Guhyangarbha tantra on your terma practice. They are basically the same thing, just one with longer lineage chain and another with shorter one.

But still, many Nyingma masters said Nyingmapa should understand Kama teaching more, even when they are actually practicing Terma.

[pink]

yes, from six main nyingmapa school , Mindroling and Shechen are the two main monasteris who mainly practice kama teaching. visit every winter to shechen. there is a practice of the sutra of the great Great assembly "tsogchen dupa" , yamantaka and vajrasattva from kama.

[Ashocka]

Like others have said here that various Kahma teaching are still practiced. Also in the Kahma are the 17 Dzogchen tantras, etc, etc, which are foundation texts and transmissions.

I was fortunate to attend the Kama transmissions at Shechen in 2004 given by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche. Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche instructed Taklung Pema Wangyal Rinpoche to give some explanation of the transmission to westerners each evening. I do not have vast knowledge, even accurate knowledge, but some of the sadhanas seemed very unique to anything I have every received, and actually many of the transmissions and sadhanas were given at that time by Guru Rinpoche to vidhyadharas only... it says in the actual initiation instructions that you have to be on the vidhyadhara level to just receive a number of these transmissions within the Kama. So a smuck like me is maybe just getting some blessing. Now, rightly or wrongly, I was left with the distinct impression that quite a lot of these practices were related to the specifics of that time when Guru Rinpoche was transmitting the Dharma in Tibet and these practices were required to empower the main practitioners in planting the Dharma firmly in Tibet, and accordingly they arose from Guru Rinpoche's wisdom mind.

Just my impression... not a qualified, informative commentary. Hope this helps and does not add further confusion. You should ask your teacher to clarify all this.