Nyingmapa (Ancient Ones, Old Order)

This oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism

bases its teachings on the early influx
(8th century) of the then newly arriving
Vajrayana teachings; a process known as
the "first diffusion" [of Buddhism into
Tibet].
Their principal teachers are
Padmasambhava, Yeshe Tsogyal,
Santarakshita (d. 802), and Vimalamitra
(8th century); but it was only in 978
that the Nyingma lineage was officially
established.
The Nyingmapa represent the earliest and
non-monastic tradition of Tantric
Buddhism, the adherents of which were
mainly wandering yogis, magicians, and
so-called exorcists, often with close
ties to the local, shamanic Bön-po. This
strand of the Nyingma comminity is known
as the 'white sangha' or Ngkapa, a
tradition still exisitng today.
Only early in the fourteenth century did
part of the Nyingma organize themselves
into a full fledged monastic order -
known as 'red sangha' - in order to
compete with the other powerful schools
then active in Tibet.
Similar to Bön, the Nyingma-pa have
developed a classification of all
Buddhist teachings in a system known as
the Nine Vehicles.
The tradition, one of the so-called
eight practice lineages, continues today
with high lamas living in the Himalayan
region as well as in the West.