Late Nyingmapa leaders H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche at La Pechardie, Dordogne, France. Summer 1984.
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of
Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and
Gelug). "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred
to as the "school of the ancient translations" or the "old school"
because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist
scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century. In
modern times the Nyingma lineage has been centered in Kham in
eastern Tibet.
The Nyingma tradition actually comprises several distinct lineages
that all trace their origins back to the Indian master
Padmasambhava (Sanskrit for "lotus-born"; Tib. Guru Rinpoche,
"precious teacher"), the legendary founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
Nyingma followers maintain the earliest Vajrayana teachings (the
other three schools are known as Sarma or "new translation"
schools, having arisen from a second wave of translation).
Followers of the tradition are known as "Nyingmapa," "pa" being a
common suffix comparable to "er" or "ite" in English.
Origins
Around 760, King Trisong Detsen invited Padmasambhava and the
Nalanda University abbot Shantarakshita (Tibetan Shiwatso) to Tibet
to introduce Buddhism in the "Land of Snows." At this point in
time, Bön, the indigenous spiritual tradition of Tibet had been in
place for some 16,000[citation needed] years in the huge region
part of which we now call Tibet. King Trisong Detsen ordered the
translation of all Buddhist Dharma Texts into Tibetan.
Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita, 108 translators, and 25 of
Padmasambhava's nearest disciples worked for many years in a
gigantic translation-project. The translations from this period
formed the base for the large scriptural transmission of dharma
teachings into Tibet. Padmasambhava supervised mainly the
translation of Tantra; Shantarakshita concentrated on the
Sutra-teachings. Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita also founded the
first Buddhist monastery Samye on Tibetan ground. It was the main
center for dharma transmission in Tibet during this age.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyimgma