In Tibetan the word Nyingmapa¹ means the "old one". Indeed, the Nyingma sect is the oldest one among the four major sects of the Tibetan Buddhism. However, to have more understanding of the Nyingma sect, we need some historical background.

Buddhism was transmitted to Tibet during the seventh century when Srongsten Gampo reigned Tibet. Srongsten Gampo had two devoted Buddhist wives, the Nepalese princess Bhrkuti and the Chinese princess Wen-cheng The story about Wen-cheng is familiar to most Chinese, and the precious Buddha statue she brought was still being worshipped in Tibet. In the eighth century, under the invitation of the succeeding kings² , many Buddhism masters came to Tibet for the Dharma teaching, including the great master Padmasambhava. Moreover, the Indian Sutras were translated into Tibetan under a clear and exact system. Buddhism was widely spread by the middle of the ninth century. This period is called the first transmission period.

The following one hundred years is the period of disruption. Because of the strike back of the Tibetan native religion, Bonism, the Buddhism activities was suppressed and monasteries were destroyed. However, many masters successfully preserved the teachings by practicing in remote areas during this period. Buddhism was not reestablished until almost the end of the tenth century, the start of the second transmission period.

In the second transmission period, Tibetans again retranslated the Sutra from Sanskrit, and reinvited Indian masters, such as Atisa, for the Dharma teaching. Three of the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug sects,³ all were developed after the second transmission period and all follow the newly translated Sutra. The only exception is the Nyingma sect, which follows the older translation. Apparently the word Nyingmapa is a collection term for those who still follow the old Sutra and teachings.⁴

Unlike the other three sects, the Nyingma sect never came to have great political influence; they did not even have a strict organization. Instead of living whole lives in monasteries, Nyingma lamas tend to be married, live with families and operate individually and locally. Many Nyingma masters practice alone in mountains, caves, or cliffs, and do not always teach disciples formally inside the monasteries. The Nyingma sect apparently contributes more than the other three sects in transmiting Buddhism to the grass-roots social level.

One of the unique characteristics of the Nyingma sect is its richness of magical and mystical legends. Its most important Guru Padmasambhava is a legendary person who lived more than 100 years to help clear up the bad spirits in Tibet. It is also believed that Padmasambhava sealed his teachings inside rocks, lakes, caves, and even peoples' minds, so that the teachings might be revealed when the proper time comes.

Several figures are recognized as modern Nyingma masters. Sogyal Rinpoche is the author of the famous book The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) was master of many important lamas, including H.H. the Dalai Lama. Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-1987) was considered to be the living representative of Padmasambhava. Finally Jamyang Khyentse Chokyu Lodro (1893-1959) is recognized as the most outstanding master of this century, and contributed greatly to the "non-partisan" movement in Tibet.

Footnotes

¹ The author is not sure about the difference between Nyingmapa and Nyingma. It seems that Ningmapa means Nyingma sect or Nyingma people.
² There were three great Dharma kings in this period: Srong-btsan sgam-po, Khri-srong lde-btsan, and Ral-pa-can. They are considered as the incarnation of Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Bodhisattva Vajrapani.
³ In Chinese documents, these four sects Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug are often called the red sect, the grey sect, the white sect, and the yellow sect, repectively. However, it is not evident to the author that Tibetans also use these names.
⁴ Although the sutra or the terms in different sects might not be the same, the teaching and the ultimate goal are the same for all four sects. [3]

References

1. Snelling, John. 1991, The Buddhism Handbook, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International.
2. Dharma Publishing, 1984, Crystal Mirror Volume VI, Annual of Tibetan Buddhism, Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing.
3. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama. 1988, Kindness, Clarity, and Insight, Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications.
4. Tulku Thondup, 1995, Enlightened Journey: Buddhist Practice As Daily Life, Shambhala Publishing.