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In \u201cThe termas conditions,\u201d Johanne talks about the convergence of all the necessary conditions for the termas discovery, application, and transmission..<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Feature 14″ _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”695px” custom_margin=”-1px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||49px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”|auto|-17px|auto||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ module_class=”column1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_tablet=”||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” padding_tablet=”||50px|” padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding__hover=”|||” padding_phone=”||50px|”][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”up1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#BF9E77|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”845.7px” custom_margin=”||-4px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”2px||2px||true|” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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Eighth century, Tibetan Empire. The Tibetan king Trisong Detsen invited Padmasambhava, a great Indian master also known by the Tibetan name Guru Rinpoche, to help spread Buddhism throughout his kingdom. Padmasambhava subdued the local deities who opposed this establishment and helped build the first Buddhist monastery at Samye alongside the abbot Shantarakshita. This marked the beginning of the Nyingma tradition of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The teachings quickly spread, and disciples flocked to the monastery. However, political and religious conditions were unstable. Some priests of the indigenous Bon tradition and conservative leaders protested, and power struggles created obstacles. As he leaves Tibet, Guru Rinpoche prophesies the near-future persecution of Buddhism. To ensure that the teachings would not disappear and that the essential instructions would not be altered, he hid his teachings in the form of termas<\/a>. These teachings would be rediscovered intact by Tert\u00f6ns, those destined to transmit them in the future.<\/p>\n Accompanied by his principal disciples, who help transcribe his teachings, Padmasambhava and his Tibetan mystical consort Yeshe Tsogyal\u2014renowned for her infallible memory\u2014work tirelessly: across Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Himalayan regions of India, they hide texts, sacred substances, ritual objects, and statues within the walls of monasteries, in the rocks of the mountains, in the waters of lakes, and even in the sky. In the minds of the disciples, Guru Rinpoche \u201cplants\u201d the teachings as spiritual seeds that will blossom in the future. An extraordinary mission, for the benefit of all beings. According to tradition, Yeshe Tsogyal continued it alone for nearly a hundred years after Guru Rinpoche departed for Chamaradvipa, the realm of the Rakshasas.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cFulfilling all the conditions of the termas seems as rare as finding \u201ca celestial star emerging from the earth\u201d or \u201ca precious jewel emerging from the sky.\u201d Yet, through the power of aspiration and the blessing of the lineage, termas have reached us across the centuries. \u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”up2-2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#000000|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”538.5px” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”29px|||||” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n How many termas – these \u201cspiritual treasures\u201d- have been hidden in this way? Surely as countless as the rays of compassion of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal\u2026\u00a0 How many will reach the beings for whom they are intended? The answer depends on the convergence of all the conditions necessary for their discovery, application, and transmission \u2014conditions inherent to each terma and specified in prophetic guides that are sometimes hidden with these treasures.<\/p>\n These prophetic guides are true “roadmaps” for the tert\u00f6n or tert\u00f6nma to whom the terma is intended. Everything is recorded in precise detail and order: the appropriate time for discovery, the location associated with the terma, the presence of a mystical companion, the disciples for whom the terma is intended, and whether preparatory practices are to be performed.<\/p>\n First, the appropriate time, corresponds to the specific period in the future when the hidden teaching is meant to be transmitted and the terma is to be unearthed. It may be a specific year or even a specific month within that year. If it is too early or too late, not only will the \u201cchest\u201d containing the terma fail to open, but, like a seed that sprouts before ripening, the terma will be lost or reassigned to another tert\u00f6n if the opportunity arises.<\/p>\n Next is the location associated with the terma. It is both the place where the terma is hidden, protected by the guardian deities to whom Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal entrusted its care, and the place where it is destined to be revealed. It may be a hidden valley, for example, and in this case, the conditions for its discovery will be linked to those required to enter the valley. It may be a place where the terma was placed to enhance the site\u2019s vital energy and discovering it will require specific practices; or the terma may be intended for wider diffusion. Sometimes indicated in prophetic guides, the location may also appear to the tert\u00f6n through visions or signs in dreams, like a seed sprouting in his mind of wisdom. Once the location has been revealed to the tert\u00f6n, he must still have the conditions to travel there\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/The-termas-conditions.jpg” alt=”@dzogchentoday-The-termas-conditions” title_text=”The termas conditions.” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”67%” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”418.5px” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”up2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#000000|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”29px|||||” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The presence of the khandroma or khandro (Tib. mkha’ ‘gro ma<\/em>, \u00a0mkha’ ‘gr<\/em>o Skt. \u1e0d\u0101ki\u1e47\u012b, \u1e0d\u0101ka) is the third and most essential condition in the process of discovering a terma, just as Yeshe Tsogyal’s presence was essential at the time of its concealment. This presence is essential because, on the one hand, it results from the wishes of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, and on the other hand because it is inherent in the procedure of the terma. If the terma emerges in the mind of the master, it is the dakini, who conceals the terma, who carries its meaning. Through the power of past wishes, the dakini or daka manifests once more as the tert\u00f6n\u2019s vehicle of activity, and enables the tert\u00f6n, by her mere presence, to understand the meaning of the terma upon its discovery.<\/p>\n The khandroma or khandro, literally \u201cshe or he who moves through the sky\u201d\u2014the \u201cphysical space\u201d\u2014is thus, for the tert\u00f6n, the enlightened being who enables the activity of the terma\u2014that is, the possibility of its rediscovery, its unfolding, and its realization by the intented beings.<\/p>\n Sometimes the khandro or khandroma associated with the terma is unable to travel. In such cases, a mere token representing them, such as a lock of their hair or a piece of their clothing, may suffice. The importance of a \u201ctangible\u201d support of activity is an intrinsic condition of the nature of termas, which are intended for human beings and which enlightened activity unfolds through the five sense doors at the level of the nirmanakaya, the aspect of tangible reality.<\/p>\n The presence of the tert\u00f6n and the khandroma is indispensable in the terma process, just as the union of wisdom and skillful means is in the realization of the nature of mind, of which they are in reality only a reflection. As Yeshe Tsogyal writes in her biography [1]<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cThe Guru and Dakini, mystic partners, having identical ambition, serve all being, with skillful means and perfect insight\u2026 (\u2026) Ultimately, Pema Jungne and Y\u00e9sh\u00e9 Tsogy\u00e4l are identical to Kuntuzangpo and Kuntuzangmo (Kunzang yab yum) [2]<\/strong><\/a>: our Body, Speech, Mind, Activity, and Quality are co-extensive with all-pervasive space.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the last condition concerns the disciples, for whom the terma transmission is intended. It may be an entire community, a small group of students, or even a single disciple, as in the case of a medicinal pill, for example. The intended recipients must be mature enough to receive, understand and practice the teaching, and they must be in circumstances that allow them to do so.<\/p>\n Sometimes preparatory practices are necessary to foster the right conditions. Assistance may also be sought from another tert\u00f6n, as was the case with Chokgyur Lingpa in the 19th century, who sought the support of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the five tert\u00f6n kings, to decipher some texts. However, sometimes this is not enough. In such cases, if the terma has been discovered but the conditions for its application and transmission are not present, the tert\u00f6n must conceal the terma once more and create the conditions so that it may be rediscovered later, as a \u201ctwice-revealed treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n The conditions for uncovering earth termas are numerous and depend on external circumstances. These include the right time and place, the presence of the khandro or the khandroma and disciples, and more. If any one of these conditions is missing, the terma cannot be discovered. Then, even if all conditions are met, the tert\u00f6n must be able to decipher the symbolic and coded writing, if it is a text, and put it into practice to realize its potential. Then, it must be authenticated by another tert\u00f6n, often a great bodhisattva, before it can be transmitted\u2026 Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, a great Dzogchen master of the 19th century, said in his autobiography that since it was very difficult to fulfill all the conditions for earth termas, the \u201cbest\u201d termas were those of the mind, less vulnerable to obstacles, where meaning and text appear simultaneously\u2026 Yet, the spiritual seed planted in the mind of the future tert\u00f6n must still be able to sprout, and the teachings must arise within the nature of his mind\u2026<\/p>\n Thus, fulfilling all the conditions of the termas seems as rare as finding \u201ca celestial star emerging from the earth\u201d or \u201ca precious jewel emerging from the sky.\u201d Yet, through the power of aspiration and the blessing of the lineage, termas have reached us across the centuries<\/a>. We then realize that these teachings that have been transmitted to us, these texts that we hold in our hands and put into practice, are true treasures, whose radiance is that of luminous clarity, whose setting is the mind of the master in union with that of the disciple, and whose essence is the ultimate essence of the pure and perfect mind\u2014that of the heart. With infinite gratitude, we once again express the wish that the termas, these spiritual treasures, continue to be discovered for the benefit of future generations and of all beings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#FFD62F” divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”down” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#000000|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”29px|||||” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [1] <\/span><\/strong>Excerpt from <\/span>Sky Dancer. The Secret Life and Songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel<\/em><\/span>, Keith Dowman, ed Snow Lion \u2013 pp.122-124. \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>BACK<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n