The Buddhist lama Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava, whose name means “Lotus Born,” introduced Vajrayana or Lightning Vehicle Buddhism into Tibet. At the request of King Trisong Detsen (reigned 755–797), he used his ritual powers to tame Tibet’s indigenous deities and build Samye, Tibet’s first Buddhist temple. Miraculously born and of fearsome reputation, Padmasambhava founded the Nyingma or Ancient Order of Himalayan Buddhism.

Padmasambhava’s magical abilities allowed him to foresee that the Tibetan empire would soon fall, and Buddhist teachings would be proscribed. Accordingly, he hid “treasures” (terma) in both the landscape of Tibet and the minds of his twenty-five closest disciples. Written in the cryptic language of the dakinis or sky-walkers, he hid these texts so they would be discovered by just the right person at just the right time, thus allowing the tradition to continue. The so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead or, more correctly translated, the Liberation by Hearing, which traces certain afterlife experiences, is one such terma treasure.