Terma et Tertön

by Lydia Bison Tonnerre

We are witnessing an exceptional period as to the evolution of human and planetary consciousness and a growing number of informations, and technologies, are thus emerging in the fields of therapy, ecology, architecture, etc. These informations are emerging within the psyche of these human beings who are able to connect to the morphogenetic field of the planet, to its history, and who are able to channel them, or to retrieve them, with an intention of transmission for the benefit of the collective well-being. This talent, this skill, revealed within a number of people, is perfectly exemplified in the Buddhist Nyingma tradition – Padmasanbhava or Guru Rinpoche’s tradition – , which, nowadays, is mainly alive in Bhutan.

Human beings whose mission is to find hidden spiritual treasures – objects or teachings named Termas – are called Tertöns.

Here is a definition given on the Buddhist website shambhalatimes.org :

« Terma texts contain Buddhist teachings intended for troubled times as a source of renewed wisdom and blessings. Although there are antecedents in Indian Buddhism–most famously Nagarjuna’s discovery of the Prajnaparamita literature–terma is primarily a Tibetan phenomena.

The Tibetan word, terma, literally means “treasure” and refers to Buddhist (or Bon) scriptures and relics retrieved from the distant past through a process of revelation. There are two principal types of treasures: earth terma, discovered in the Tibetan and Himalayan landscape, and mind terma, discovered in the mind of the terton or “treasure revealer.” The latter should be distinguished with pure visions, or daknang, which appear in the mind of realized masters, but do not necessarily claim ancient origins. Though its source is located in the distant past, a terma is intended for the time and place of its discovery.

As Buddhist teachings, terma are most frequently traced to the eighth-century tantric master Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche (literally “precious teacher”). According to treasure lore, during each of the tantric initiations he conducted, Padmasambhava appointed one of his disciples to reveal the associated set of teachings in a future lifetime. Afterwards, his principal disciple and consort, Yeshe Tsogyal, transcribed and hid these teachings throughout the Tibetan and Himalayan landscape. »

Shortly after starting my planetary quest in search of SIBA’s programming codes, I got in touch with Guru Rinpoche’s teachings through their powerful and thundering energy form. Guru has manifested himself as one of the occult Guardians of SIBA. This encounter moved me deeply and made me discover the Nyingma tradition – which was then unknown to me as I am an animist, devoted to our Mother Earth Pachamama-Gaïa and immersed in the Indigenous Amerindian traditions which are the living sources of my initiation. Of all the main works I have read on the subject, I felt most in tune with the “Life of Yeshe Tsogyal, sovereign of Tibet” by Gyalwa Tchangtchoub and Namkhai Nyingpo. Yeshe is Guru Rinpoche’s consort. This book tells the story of her life written by one of her disciples. I identified, from her life, very telling connections between the Tantric practice and my own practice of shamanism. Indeed, Yeshe’s life journey – taught by Guru and herself a teacher – weaves a narrative of permanent transmutations, of painful and internalized experiments, of letting go and immense faith associated to a committed and fierce determination. Guru Rinpoche’s team, composed of beings gifted with multiple and magical talents, is a group of warriors whose goal is to bring back peace and balance in the kingdom.

I deeply felt the resonance with Yeshe’s journey as well as with the approach of this group of united Tantrikas devoted to an impeccable asceticism and alignment.

I fathomed a lot better the very concept of Tantrism which, until then, was repulsive for me through its westernized dimension focused primarily on sexuality and its notorious drifts.

I had access to the vision of Tantra in what this word means in Sanskrit, “Weaving”, and had the opportunity, once again, to establish a synergy with the shamanic way and with SIBA. The very essence of SIBA is to connect us to various chaotic narrative wefts which it deconstructs before sewing them again into an harmonious and regenerated web. SIBA is guiding us towards her Tantra as does the shamanic way whose source dwells in the interconnection between all things and all beings.

Then came the dream announcing that I needed to go to Bhutan in order to retrieve complementary SIBA’s programming codes. Pachamama-Gaïa leaves nothing to chance as she had taken great care of making me meet previously a Bhutanese man named Karma, visiting Paris and experiencing a SIBA session.

Therefore, Karma, my official guide, invited me there, in January 2011, and accompanied me with enthusiasm throughout a splendid journey, into the land of Guru and Yeshe, to retrieve the precious codes in Tiger’s Nest.

I was then given the opportunity of a profound understanding of the concepts of Terma and Tertön by experiencing a deep and touching spiritual connection with the famous Tertön Pema Lingpa. It became very clear, for Karma and myself, that my search of SIBA’s codes – this treasure offered by Pachamama-Gaïa and designed by her emissary, under Her precise instructions, more than 14 000 years ago and deposited in many regions of the planet – was very similar to the experiences lived by the Tertöns of the Buddhist tradition.

I thus adopted these terms, at this precise timing of my quest, not to coopt them from the Buddhist tradition but to confer my reverence and hommage to Guru Rinpoche, to Yeshe Tsogyal and to Pema Lingpa who offered to me so many graces and blessings during this trip and, since then, who never ceased to walk with me. SIBA is this multi-traditional Terma which is linking us to the very essence of the greatest esoteric and magical traditions by connecting us to the Great Ancestors, the Netheru.

I firmly embraced the responsibility for the commitment to be the Tertön of such a complex Terma as SIBA which contains so much ancient knowledge. SIBA is a Terma of regeneration and transformation which requires, from its Tertön and her partners, to demonstrate a strong will to transmute their untuned sides, to correct their mistakes, with a full propension to make amend, to get rid of their conditionings, to question themselves permanently and to focus their energy towards an ethical lifestyle – “to walk their talk”.

The Tertön’s mission is to walk the path with great rigor towards more wisdom, to be a worthy representative of the Terma, which is entrusted to her/him, not to put in danger her/his credibility as well as the trust imparted by the Netheru.

I am delighted to see that, on Earth, other Tertöns exhuming the knowledge from the past, are now proposing keys of evolution and transformation and are devoting themselves, with all their heart and in true humility, to their implementation and transmission.

I am deeply honored to be the Tertön of the Terma SIBA and to share its Beauty with those human beings who rely on it, with confidence and awareness.

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