The Nyingma school is regarded as the oldest of the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, its very name meaning “ancient” or “ancient ones.” It traces its origins to the first transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, especially during the reign of King Trisong Detsen, when figures such as Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and Śāntarakṣita established the Dharma there and founded Samyé, the first monastery. In this sense, Nyingma is rooted in the earliest translations of Buddhist scriptures and tantras into Tibetan, before the rise of later schools. It is often associated with preserving the “old tantras” and the earliest tantric practices that took shape in the Tibetan landscape.

A distinctive feature of this tradition is its twofold scriptural and practice heritage: the Kama, or oral and textual teachings passed down in an unbroken lineage, and the Terma, or “treasure teachings” said to have been concealed to be revealed later by tertöns, treasure revealers. These terma are understood as a living stream of revelation that periodically renews the tradition from within, while the Kama ensures continuity with the earliest transmissions. In this way, Nyingma holds together both preservation and ongoing discovery, treating the Dharma as something at once ancient and ever-unfolding.

In terms of spiritual path, the Nyingma school is known for its presentation of nine vehicles, or yānas, culminating in the inner tantras and especially Atiyoga, more widely known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Dzogchen is regarded as the highest and most direct approach, emphasizing immediate recognition of the mind’s primordial purity and awareness, rather than a gradual construction of enlightened qualities. Practice in this tradition includes calm abiding and insight meditation, deity yoga, elaborate ritual and mantra recitation, all oriented toward this direct realization of the nature of mind. The emphasis on direct experience and inherent wakefulness gives the school a contemplative flavor that many practitioners find both radical and deeply simple.

Historically, Nyingma has included both monastic and lay forms of practice, with lineages of celibate monks alongside non-celibate tantric practitioners and yogis living in families or small communities. Rather than relying solely on large, centralized institutions, it has often been organized around lineages of accomplished masters and local communities, where transmission occurs through close teacher–disciple relationships. Through these varied forms, the Nyingma school has maintained a rich tapestry of ritual, meditation, and visionary teachings, all oriented toward unveiling the Great Perfection that it holds to be present from the very beginning.