Tib., rNying-ma-pa: Ancient Ones, Old Order
This oldest branch, or 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 so-called 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 community 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.