Revealing the Hidden: Theorizing and Narrating Treasure Discovery in Early Tibetan Buddhism

This paper, which constitutess a snapshot of my dissertation in progress will  investigate the development of the treasure (gter ma, Tib.) discovery tradition in Tibetan Buddhism, with a particular focus on the 13th to 15th centuries, a formative period for the practice. It examines the treasure origin accounts (gter ’byung) of two of the most influential early treasure revealers, Guru Chowang (1212–1270, C.E.) and Ratna Lingpa (1403–1478), whose works not only recount their own discoveries but also attempt to theorize and define the nature of the treasure phenomenon. These texts are among the earliest and most systematic attempts to establish a framework for treasure revelation, making them essential for understanding the intellectual history of the tradition.

At the heart of this study is an analysis of the detailed treasure discovery narratives found in the works of Guru Chowang and Ratna Lingpa. These accounts provide first-hand descriptions of the methods, circumstances, and mystical experiences involved in uncovering hidden Buddhist scriptures, ritual objects, and relics. Both revealers document the intricate process of revelation: the prophetic dreams and visions that led them to specific locations, the ritual actions required to retrieve treasures, and the obstacles—both supernatural and human—they encountered along the way. In their writings, treasures are not merely found but are revealed through a complex interplay of divine guidance, landscape sacrality, and the revealer’s own spiritual readiness.

Beyond their personal narratives, Guru Chowang and Ratna Lingpa also engage in a broader intellectual project: defining what treasures are, how they should be classified, and what distinguishes them from other Buddhist scriptures. Their treasure origin accounts include theoretical discussions on the ontology of the treasures—examining their divine origins, the process of their concealment and rediscovery, and the metaphysical principles governing their transmission.

Guru Chowang’s Great Treasure Origin Account (gter ’byung chen mo) outlines different types of treasures, ranging from scriptures and ritual objects to medicinal formulas and esoteric instructions. He provides guidelines on how a treasure revealer should approach a site, the ethical obligations involved in revelation, and the spiritual qualifications necessary for a revealer. Ratna Lingpa, covers these points, but goes futher, presenting a  radical vision, arguing that all of the Buddha’s teachings—both sutra and tantra—were initially hidden as treasures and later revealed. His Lamp that Illuminates Treasure Origins (gter ’byung gsal ba’i sgron me) challenges conventional distinctions between revealed and transmitted teachings, asserting that all Buddhist scriptures, regardless of how they were recorded, are part of a continuous process of revelation.

My project will compare these two theoretical models, tracing their points of convergence and divergence, and evaluating their impact on the broader treasure tradition. While in some cases Ratna Lingpa is drawing directly on Guru Chowang's work, he takes his "theology" of the treasures much futher, likely in response to the polemics of the time.

One of the central questions this study addresses is how authorship is conceptualized in the treasure tradition. Both Guru Chowang and Ratna Lingpa explicitly deny authorship of the treasures they reveal, attributing them instead to enlightened beings from the past. They are, however, deeply complicit in the productions of the treasures they discovered.  Western scholarship has often framed treasure revealers as the de facto authors of their texts, sometimes assuming that the treasures were composed rather than discovered. However, this study argues that such an approach fails to account for how the revealers themselves understood their role. In contrast to modern Western notions of authorship, which emphasize individual creativity and intellectual property, Tibetan treasure revelation operates within a framework where texts emerge through a process of transmission rather than personal composition. Guru Chowang and Ratna Lingpa’s detailed discussions on the mechanics of revelation—how a revealer encounters a treasure text, deciphers its script, and transmits it to disciples—demonstrate a complex interplay between personal agency and divine inspiration.

By analyzing how these figures theorized their own roles, this study contributes to a larger discussion on visionary authorship, comparing the Tibetan treasure tradition to similar phenomena in other religious traditions. It also challenges prevailing assumptions in Tibetan Buddhist studies, urging a reconsideration of how textual production and spiritual authority functioned in premodern Tibet.

By closely reading the treasure origin accounts of Guru Chowang and Ratna Lingpa, this study intends to shed new light on the intellectual history of the treasure tradition, demonstrating that these texts are not just hagiographic or polemical but are also deeply engaged in philosophical and hermeneutic questions. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader fields of Tibetan Buddhist studies, religious studies, and literary theory by offering a nuanced exploration of how sacred texts are revealed, interpreted, and legitimized across different historical and cultural contexts.