Lingpa

Lingpa is a Tibetan Buddhist term traditionally used to denote a treasure revealer, or tertön. In the Nyingma school and related traditions, lingpa refers to someone believed to discover or reveal terma—hidden teachings said to have been concealed by past masters such as Padmasambhava for future practitioners. The revealed material may take the form of new cycles of tantra, ritual instructions, or guidance for meditation and practice. Termas are often associated with hidden sites, visionary experiences, or dreams, and lingpa activity is seen as addressing the needs of the contemporary world while preserving the integrity of earlier lineages.

Notable figures bearing the Lingpa name or title include Pema Lingpa (c. 1450–1521), a celebrated treasure revealer whose discoveries are said to have revitalized several Nyingma lineages, and Jigme Lingpa (1729–1798), who revealed the Longchen Nyingthig cycle, a cornerstone teaching of Dzogchen in the Nyingma tradition. The Lingpa designation appears in many other tertöns’ names as well, reflecting the widespread role of treasure revealers in Tibetan Buddhist history.

In addition to its use as a personal epithet, Lingpa functions as a generic title for those regarded as legitimate discoverers of terma. The concept has influenced Tibetan Buddhist practice by sustaining the belief in timely, divinely guided revelations that expand and reinterpret established lineages.