Alex Wilding

Tulkutandu spent a good part of his life in English-speaking environments, starting in India during the 60s and 70s, and then in America, where at one point he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, until his death somewhat over a year ago. This book was therefore written very much with Westerners in mind, and the best word I can think of to describe it is fascinating.

Tulkutandu spent a good part of his life in English-speaking environments, starting in India during the 60s and 70s, and then in America, where at one point he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, until his death somewhat over a year ago. This book was therefore written very much with Westerners in mind, and the best word I can think of to describe it is fascinating.

There are also words for Tulkutandup's output, such as sound, learned, authoritative and insightful. This particular book, Hidden Teachings, is also relatively cheap. Before leaving the virtual library, I'm really keen to mention a very short work, The Life and Teaching of Chokyur Lingpa. Chogyalingpa was, as you might guess, an important tertan.

There are also words for Tulkutandup's output, such as sound, learned, authoritative and insightful. This particular book, Hidden Teachings, is also relatively cheap. Before leaving the virtual library, I'm really keen to mention a very short work, The Life and Teaching of Chokyur Lingpa. Chogyalingpa was, as you might guess, an important tertan.

I think you can get cheaper editions, but it does appear that my penchant for buying Buddhist books has brought me again a first edition of this. At just over 60 pages, and they're not large pages either, I'm astonished to see it advertised as a collectible item on Amazon with an asking price of $127. But mine is not for sale.

I think you can get cheaper editions, but it does appear that my penchant for buying Buddhist books has brought me again a first edition of this. At just over 60 pages, and they're not large pages either, I'm astonished to see it advertised as a collectible item on Amazon with an asking price of $127. But mine is not for sale.

Anyway, the real reason I wanted to mention it was because of a delightful insight into the mindset of this world, which is offered to us on the very first page of the biography, where we are told that, and I quote, That gives you an insight, doesn't it? By now, some of you may be wondering what a text treasure or terma actually says.

Anyway, the real reason I wanted to mention it was because of a delightful insight into the mindset of this world, which is offered to us on the very first page of the biography, where we are told that, and I quote, That gives you an insight, doesn't it? By now, some of you may be wondering what a text treasure or terma actually says.

The size varies enormously, and the majority are based on instructions for ritual and meditation. A terma may well include one or more instructions for a sadhana, which, as you probably know, is a procedure for invoking, visualizing and reciting the mantra of a particular deity or group of deities, forms of the Buddha. I have seen a terma text that is one page long.

The size varies enormously, and the majority are based on instructions for ritual and meditation. A terma may well include one or more instructions for a sadhana, which, as you probably know, is a procedure for invoking, visualizing and reciting the mantra of a particular deity or group of deities, forms of the Buddha. I have seen a terma text that is one page long.

The works of Dujam Rinpoche contain a high proportion of termas and his full collected works extend to 25 volumes, each of which contains several hundred pages. This, unsurprisingly enough, is a collection of many individual termas.

The works of Dujam Rinpoche contain a high proportion of termas and his full collected works extend to 25 volumes, each of which contains several hundred pages. This, unsurprisingly enough, is a collection of many individual termas.

Some of these volumes are each dedicated to one particular cycle of practice and teachings, which might include a number of liturgies, prayers, practice instructions, yogic techniques, preliminaries, activity practices, long life practices, a whole armory of stuff to do. The collected works of his predecessor, Tujam Lingpa, run to 20 volumes of a similar sort of size.

Some of these volumes are each dedicated to one particular cycle of practice and teachings, which might include a number of liturgies, prayers, practice instructions, yogic techniques, preliminaries, activity practices, long life practices, a whole armory of stuff to do. The collected works of his predecessor, Tujam Lingpa, run to 20 volumes of a similar sort of size.

In fact, the idea of a terton, a treasure finder, being responsible for a large, extensive cycle of more or less closely related termitexts is almost standard. There are quite a number of such collections. And what are the tertons? What are they like? How do they compare with the better-known feature of Tibetan Buddhism, the tulkus? Firstly, tertons are not generally recognized at birth.

In fact, the idea of a terton, a treasure finder, being responsible for a large, extensive cycle of more or less closely related termitexts is almost standard. There are quite a number of such collections. And what are the tertons? What are they like? How do they compare with the better-known feature of Tibetan Buddhism, the tulkus? Firstly, tertons are not generally recognized at birth.

Their nature, or status if you like, becomes clear as a result of various signs. Very few hold monastic vows. Jatsun Yingpo, who was a fully ordained monk and is responsible for discovering the Konchok Chidu cycle, is one very well-known exception. Most tertans, however, have one or more consorts, and their behaviour can be, let me say, wild.

Their nature, or status if you like, becomes clear as a result of various signs. Very few hold monastic vows. Jatsun Yingpo, who was a fully ordained monk and is responsible for discovering the Konchok Chidu cycle, is one very well-known exception. Most tertans, however, have one or more consorts, and their behaviour can be, let me say, wild.

This puts some of them, at least, into the problem zone, especially when we know that the existence of fake tertans was well accepted, meaning that they must prove themselves in other ways. Dujam Lingpa, for example, was a very heavy smoker, and Dujam Rinpoche, his successor in the reincarnation line, blamed his own lifelong problem with asthma on that bad habit of his predecessor.

This puts some of them, at least, into the problem zone, especially when we know that the existence of fake tertans was well accepted, meaning that they must prove themselves in other ways. Dujam Lingpa, for example, was a very heavy smoker, and Dujam Rinpoche, his successor in the reincarnation line, blamed his own lifelong problem with asthma on that bad habit of his predecessor.