Treasure Revealers and Treasure Teachings

The word “treasure” refers to Dharma teachings, material wealth, or branches of knowledge that remain hidden and are not presently manifest. The one who reveals or discovers them is called a treasure revealer (tertön).

For example, a special practitioner of Dzogchen, through recollection of previous lives, may discover a profound teaching that had been concealed as a treasure for a future time. Such teachings are called treasure teachings (terma).

Most treasure teachings are explained in this way: In a previous time, Guru Rinpoche taught these profound teachings to the practitioner and then concealed them as treasures so that they would temporarily remain hidden. At that time, the practitioner made aspirations to benefit beings through those profound teachings in the future. Guru Rinpoche also prophesied that, after many hundreds of years, when the time came for those teachings to benefit beings, they should be revealed from the treasure.

Through the combined power of the practitioner’s aspiration prayers and Guru Rinpoche’s enlightened intention and blessing, the seed of the profound teaching was concealed within the nonconceptual wisdom mind of the treasure revealer.
Later, when all the necessary causes, conditions, karmic connections, and merit come together, the treasure teaching is naturally revealed exactly as Guru Rinpoche had foretold.

— Written by KPG