Emerging in the 8th century with Padmasambhava at its heart, Nyingma (“ancient” school) predates the later Sarma (“new translation”) lineages—Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug and Jonang. That early wave of Indian masters and first Sanskrit-to-Tibetan translations gives Nyingma a distinct flavor.

1. Textual treasures and terma tradition
   • Nyingma’s core scriptural collection (Nyingma Gyubum) features the three tantric series—Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga (Dzogchen)—often described as “going straight to the top floor” of realization.
   • Treasures hidden by Padmasambhava and consorts keep re-emerging through tertöns (treasure-revealers), lending the tradition an almost archaeological excitement.

2. Direct-experience emphasis
   • Dzogchen champions spontaneous presence—the mind recognized as already free—whereas Gelug’s Lamrim is a carefully paved highway of ethical training and philosophical debate.
   • Kagyu’s Mahamudra shares an affinity for immediacy, but Dzogchen’s “sky-like” mind is likened to an untouched canvas—no two strokes the same.

3. Monastic culture and community style
   • Early Nyingma monasteries wove indigenous Tibetan rituals with Indian methods, spawning flexible attitudes toward celibacy and lay participation.
   • The newer schools, especially Gelug, built highly structured monastic universities with strict discipline, exams and centralized governance.

4. Philosophical and ritual flair
   • Sakya leans on its Hevajra cycle and Lamdre path; Kagyu revolves around guru-yoga and lineage pith instructions; Gelug puts Tsongkhapa’s logic-driven Madhyamaka at the forefront.
   • Nyingma’s spectrum—from deity yoga to formless Dzogchen—feels like a handcrafted, artisanal brew compared to the fine-tuned espresso machines of the newer orders.

5. Modern resonance
   • Figures like the Dalai Lama (Gelug) attract global headlines, but Nyingma voices such as Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche are shaping today’s mindfulness and contemplative-arts scene in the West.
   • Recent conferences—like the 2024 Global Buddhist Forum in Kathmandu—highlight conversations across all five traditions, yet Nyingma’s terma revelations still turn heads for their freshness.