Nyingmapa of Tibetan Buddhism
By: Mr. Liu Liqian
Tradition of Nyingmapa
The tradition of Nyingmapa sect can be traced back to that of Buddhism in the period of the first rise of Buddhism in Tibet. When Buddhism was forbidden in Tibet, it went into underground and was spread secretly. After Tubo Dynasty collapsed there were no monks or monasteries for a long time. Only a few people practiced Buddhism at home to maintain the tradition, which was passed from father to son. Thus Buddhism could continue to exist. (Blue Annals p.84)
According to the Blue Annals, those Buddhist laymen at home or in caves followed Buddhism and devoted themselves to its practice sincerely. They preserved the Kangyur and Tengyur before the reign of Tibetan King Ralpachen. Most of the sutras translated into Tibetan during the Tubo period can be found today. Why did those laymen not suffer from the disaster in the period of the ban of Buddhism? It is because King Langdarma only concentrated his mind on destroying Buddhist monasteries and monks and no time to deal with the Buddhist laymen.
According to Records of Tibetan Kings and Ministers, many people who seemed to be secular were in fact Buddhist monks of Tantricism and they did not let other people know they were monks. The Tibetan king and ministers did not pay attention to them at the time. That was why they could escape the disaster. The number of the Buddhists of this kind was not small. Sarvajna Yezang Tsepa said, at that time the discipline tradition of Buddhism had declined, but tantricism had never declined (Records of Tibetan Kings and Ministers. p.76).
During the 10th --11th centuries, in the early period of second rise of Buddhism in Tibet, some people went by themselves or were sent to India and Nepal to study Buddhist sutras; some Indian and Nepalese eminent monks were invited to Tibet to spread Buddhism. Many sutras of Tantricism were translated into Tibetan language. Owing to the fact that there were different masters and traditions, new sects were set up; they were generally called New Tatricism or New Sect, including Ganden, Sakya, Kagyu, and others.
The Ny8ingmapa sect was also founded in that period. Its founder was Sur Shakya Jungna. He acquired many Tantric sutras handed down from the 8th and 9th centuries and compiled them into a system. He founded Upalung Monastery, where he taught students, openly spread Buddhism. Thus he founded the Sur tradition. Besides, there were Rongsong, Ro and Longchin Nyingtig traditions. These traditions spread the sutras of the period of the first rise of Buddhism in Tibet, so they were formed as an independent system. Historians called them the Former Tantricism or the Old sect (Nyingmapa).
The Old sect or Nhingmapa sect had two traditions: Sutra Tradition, directly handing down old sutras; Hidden Sutra Tradition, handing down the sutras which had been hidden and then found out.
In addition to these two traditions, there were some other traditions such as Buddha--Heart Tradition, but they did not have so detailed records as those for the Sutra and Hidden Sutra Traditions.
