Un des enseignements cachés (terma) de Padmasambhava.
Cette école est la plus vieille des écoles tibétaines. Elle provient de la première introduction du bouddhisme tantrique au Tibet fait par Padmasambhava. Ce maître indien est venu à la demande du roi Trisong Deutsen au VIIIe siècle. Il a subjugé et transformés les forces négatives afin qu'elles puissent être compatibles avec la propagation du bouddhisme. Il fit ensuite construire le premier monastère du Tibet, celui de Samyey, qui devient un important centre pour la traduction de textes indiens en textes tibétains. Les pratiques tantriques étaient alors à ce moment fortement ésotérique et pratiqué dans le secret. Prenez le mot "ésotérique" dans le sens de "connue par peu de gens" et de "nécessitant une initiation" et non pas le sens de occulte ou de magic. Considérant que ses disciples n'étaient pas encore aptes ni prêts à recevoir la totalité de l'enseignement, Padmasambhava aurait alors caché des centaines de terma, des enseignements qu'il a codés sous la forme d'écritures, d'images, etc. Il a donné les instructions afin de pouvoir les décoder en temps et lieu pour le bénifice des générations futures. Sur l'image qui suit, vous pouvez voir une roche, sur lequel est inscrit le mantra Om mani padme hum dans lequel se cache un terma légué par Padmasambhava.
Un des enseignements cachés (terma) de Padmasambhava.
Il se passa bien du temps avant que la hiérarchie de cette école s'établisse définitivement. Il y eut une période de fébrilité au 17e siècle alors que six grandes universités monastiques allaient être construites, la plus important de celles-ci étant le monastère de Palyul construit par Rigzin Kunsang Sherab en 1665. Le chef spirituel de cette lignée est Sa Sainteté Penor Rimpoche.
Une autre particularité de l'école Nyingma est le mode de transmission Dzogchen.
Le Dzogchen
tel qu'expliqué par Namkhaï Norbu Rinpoché
Le Dzogchen n’est ni le Sûtra ni le Tantra. La base de la transmission
du Dzogchen est l’"introduction" et non la "manifestation"
comme dans le Tantra.
Ses pratiques principales travaillent directement au niveau de l'esprit pour
amener l'individu dans l’"état primordial", qui est introduit
par le maître, état que l'on continue jusqu'à la réalisation
du "Grand Transfert" ou du "Corps de lumière".
Bien que cet enseignement fonctionne principalement au niveau de l'esprit, il existe aussi des pratiques de la voix et du corps dans le Dzogchen, mais elles sont secondaires par rapport à la pratique de la contemplation non duelle, et utilisées pour amener le pratiquant dans cet état.
Seule cette contemplation peut véritablement être appelée Dzogchen, mais un pratiquant peut utiliser toutes les pratiques d'un quelconque niveau des Sûtras ou des Tantras, si elles s'avèrent nécessaires pour éliminer ce qui fait obstacle à l'état de contemplation.
La méthode spécifique du Dzogchen est appelée la Voie de l'autolibération. Pour l'appliquer, il n'y a rien à quoi on doive renoncer, rien à purifier ni rien à transformer. La vision karmique qui apparaît, quelle qu'elle soit, est utilisée comme la Voie. Le grand maître Padampa Sangyé a dit " Ce ne sont pas les circonstances apparaissant comme une vision karmique qui conditionnent une personne dans l'état dualiste; c'est l'attachement de cette personne qui permet à ce qui apparaît de la conditionner." Pour rompre avec cet attachement de la façon la plus rapide et la plus effective, la capacité de l'esprit à s'autolibérer doit être mise en action.
Le terme "autolibération" ne doit toutefois pas faire croire qu'il y ait une sorte de "soi" où d' "égo" à libérer. C'est, au niveau du Dzogchen, un postulat fondamental que tous les phénomènes sont vides de nature propre. "Autolibération", au sens du Dzogchen, signifie que tout ce qui se manifeste dans le champ de l'expérience du pratiquant est laissé libre de se manifester tel quel, sans être jugé bon ou mauvais, beau ou laid. Et, à ce moment même, s'il n'y a pas d'attachement, sans effort et même sans volonté, ce qui s'élève, pensée ou événement apparemment extérieur, se libère automatiquement de lui-même.
En pratiquant ainsi, les graines de l'arbre empoisonné de la vision dualiste n'ont jamais l'occasion de germer et encore moins de prendre racine. Ainsi, le pratiquant vit sa vie d'une façon ordinaire, sans avoir besoin d'autres règles que sa propre conscience, mais il demeure toujours dans l'unité primordiale et intègre à son état tout ce qui apparaît et dont il a fait l'expérience, et sans qu'aucune attitude extérieure signale qu'il pratique. C'est ce que l'on entend par le nom de Dzogchen qui signifie "Grande Perfection", et c'est ce que l'on entend par contemplation non duelle, ou simplement contemplation.
Extraits de Dzogchen et Tantra. Collection Spiritualités vivantes, Éditions Albin Michel.
The Nyingma Tradition
The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism traces its origin to the Indian adept,
Guru Padmasambhava, who came to Tibet in 817 C.E. at the invitation of King
Trisong Deutsan (742-797) in order to subdue the evil forces then impeding the
spread of Buddhism. Guru Rinpochey, as he is popularly known, bound all evil
spirits by oath and transformed them into forces compatible with the spread
of Buddhism. In collaboration with the great Bodhisattva Abbot Shantarakshita,
Guru Rinpochey then built Samyey monastery, which became a principal centre
of learning and the site where many of the texts that would make up Tibet's
vast Buddhist literature were first translated into Tibetan.
Guru Rinpochey also gave widespread teachings from the highest classes of tantra
and in particular to his twenty-five principal disciples. These first Tibetan
adepts are renowned for their spiritual accomplishments, for example, Namkhe
Nyingpo for his feat of travelling on beams of light, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal
for reviving the dead, Vairochana for his intuition, Nanam Yeshe for soaring
in the sky, Kawa Peltseg for reading others thought and Jnana Kumara for his
miraculous powers.
Contemporary Indian masters Vimalamitra, Buddhaguhya, Shantipa and the tantric adept, Dharmakirti, also came to Tibet and spread tantric teachings. So, although the study of logic and Buddhist philosophy was not yet prevalent, the practice of tantra in extreme secrecy was much favoured. Even the work of translating such esoteric texts as Kun-byed rgyal-po, mDo-dgougs-'dus and the Mahamaya cycle of teachings by Vairochana, Nyag Jnana Kumara, Nubchen Sangye Yeshe and others, was carried out in great secrecy.
Seeing the disciples unripe and the time inappropriate for many of the other teachings he had to reveal, Guru Padmasambhava hid hundreds of Treasures in the forms of scriptures, images and ritual articles, with instructions for their revelation for the benefit of future generations. Subsequently, more than one hundred masters have revealed these Treasures and taught them to their disciples. So, besides the tantric teachings, it is these lineages of revealed teachings combined with the Great Completion or Dzogchen doctrine taught and disseminated successively by Garab Doyjer, Shri Simha, Guru Rinpochey, Jnana Sutra, Vimala Mitra, which are distinguished in Tibet as Nyingma doctrine.
The Nyingma tradition divides the entire Buddhist teachings into Nine Vehicles: the Three Common Vehicles comprising the Hearer, Solitary Realizer, and Bodhisattva vehicles dealing with those categories of teachings included in the sutras taught by Buddha Shakyamuni; the Three Outer Tantras consisting of Kriya Tantra which places greater emphasis on practising proper external behaviour, physical and verbal conduct aimed at purification and simple visualisation practice; Upa Tantra which lays more emphasis on developing both external and internal faculties with the goal of achieving a deeper affinity with the meditational deity; and Yoga Tantra, which I mainly aimed at developing the strength of inner psychophysical vitality as taught by Vajrasattva. Finally, the Three Innermost Tantras comprising Mahayoga, primarily emphasising the Generation Stage practice in which the ordinary level of perception and attachment are eliminated through sacred vision and divine pride; the Annuyoga, emphasising Completion Stage practice in which the vajra body is used as a serviceable means to actualise primordial awareness and the Atiyoga, in which all emphasis is directed towards full activation of the generation and completion stage practices, enabling the yogi to transcend all ordinary time, activity and experience, as taught by Samantabhadra Buddha.
The first six of these nine vehicles are common to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, whereas the last three, the Innermost Tantras, are exclusive to the Nyingma tradition.
Due to the slightly different approaches of various lineages in presenting Dzogchen three sub-schools have developed: The Mind School (Sems-sde) is attributed to Shrisimha and Vairochana's lineage, the Centredness School (kLong-sde) is attributed to Longde Dorje Zampa, and Shrisimha and Vairochana's lineage, whereas the Quintessential Instruction School (Man-ngag-sde) is attributed directly to Guru Padmasambhava's lineage of the Heart's Drop (sNying-thig) cycle of teachings and practice. Although Dzogchen is the unique feature of Nyingma practice, even among the lay followers the practice of reciting Guru Rinpochey's prayers, observing the 10th and 25th of every lunar month as a day for feast offerings, and even retiring into retreat for three years and three months individually or in company are common.
According to the history of the origin of tantras there are three lineages: The Lineage of Buddha's Intention, which refers to the teachings of the Truth Body originating from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, who is said to have taught tantras to an assembly of completely enlightened beings emanated from the Truth Body itself. Therefore, this level of teaching is considered as being completely beyond the reach of ordinary human beings. The Lineage of the Knowledge Holders corresponds to the teachings of the Enjoyment Body originating from Vajrasattva and Vajrapani, whose human lineage begins with Garab Dorje of the Ögyan Dakini land. From him the lineage passed to Manjushrimitra, Shrisimha and then to Guru Rinpochey, Jnanasutra, Vimalamitra and Vairochana who disseminated it in Tibet. Lastly, the Human Whispered Lineage corresponds to the teachings of the Emanation Body, originating from the Five Buddha Families. They were passed on to Shrisimha, who transmitted them to Guru Rinpochey, who in giving them to Vimalamitra started the lineage which has continued in Tibet until the present day.
This last mode of transmission is most commonly employed for ordinary people. However, the former two lineages may still exist amongst the highly realised Dzogchen masters.
There is yet another tradition which enumerates six lineages for the origin of the tantras by adding: the Commissioned Instruction Lineage (bK'a-babs lung-bstan-gyi-btgyud-pa), the Treasure Doctrine Lineage of the Fortunate One's (Las-'phrn gter-gyi-brgyud- pa) and the Lineage of Trustees Established Through Prayers (sMon-lam gtad-rgya'i-brgyud-pa).
The Nyingma tantric literature and its transmission is classified into three groups: the Oral, Treasures, and Visions. These three may be further subsumed under two categories: the Oral comprising primarily the tantras and associated texts belonging to the cycle of Mahayoga tantras; the root and explanatory tantra belonging to the cycle of Annuyoga tantras; and finally, the Atiyoga or Dzogchen cycle of tantras.
The Treasure transmission comprises the innumerable treasure texts revealed by subsequent Treasure Masters, which were hidden by Guru Rinpochey himself in 9th century as well as numerous teachings later revealed through enlightened minds and meditative visions of Nyingma masters. Hundreds of masters have appeared who have revealed treasures. Among them, Nyangral Nyima Özer (1124-92), Guru Chowang (1212-70), Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405), Padma Lingpa (b.1405) and Jamyang Khyentse (1820-1892) are renowned as the Five Kings of the Treasure Masters. Their revealed treasures concern, among others, the cycle of teachings and meditations related to Avalokiteshvara, Guru Rinpochey's sadhanas, the Dzogchen teachings, the Ka-gyey cycle of teachings, the Vajrakila or Phurba cycle of teachings, medicine and prophecies.
Hence, in addition to the standard Mahayana Buddhist canon of the Kangyur and Tangyur, many further teachings may be found in the Collection of a Hundred Thousand Nyingma Tantras, compiled in thirteenth century by Tertön Ratna Lingpa (1403-1473) and organised by Kunkhyen Longchen Ramjampa (1308-1363). Besides this, numerous works such as the sixty volumes of the Rinchen Terdzod compiled by Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso (1813-1899) and the writings of Rongzom, Dodrupchen, Paltrul, Mipham and many others have added to the rich collection of Nyingma literature. The oldest Nyingma institution is Samyey temple completed in 810 C.F. by Shantarakshita and Guru Padmasambhava under the patronage of King Trisong Deutsan. Subsequently, no big monasteries were built until the 12th century, when Nechung Monastery was built in Central Tibet by Chokpa Jangchub Palden and Kathok Monastery was founded in Kham by Ka Dampa Desheg (1112-92) in 1159. This is an indication that unlike the other Buddhist traditions the
Nyingmapas did not become institutionalised until much later in their history. From the 15th century onwards, great monastic universities were built, such as Mindroling, founded in 1676 by Rigzin Terdag Lingpa, otherwise known as Minling Terchen Gyurmed Dorje (1646-1714) and Dorje Drag founded in 1659 by Rigzin Ngagi Wangpo in central Tibet; and Palyul established by Rigzin Kunsang Sherab in 1665; Dzogchen built by Dzogchen Pema Rigzin in 1685 and Zhechen established by Zhechen Rabjampa in 1735, all in Kham province. Dodrupchen and Darthang monasteries were established in Amdo.
Principal monastic institutions re-established in exile are Thekchok Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling, in Bylakuppe, Karnataka State; Ngedon Gatsal Ling, in Clementown, Dehradun; Palyul Chokhor Ling and E-Vam Gyurmed Ling in Bir, and Nechung Drayang Ling at Dharamsala, and Thubten E-vam Dorjey Drag at Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, India.
The Nyingma tradition is presently headed by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpochey, who succeeds Kyabje Dudjom Rinpochey (1904?-1987). Besides, Minling Trichen Rinpochey, Trulzhig Rinpochey, Taglung Tsetrul Rinpochey and Penor Rinpochey are some of the living spiritual masters.
NB. The present head of Nyingmapa is His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.