A tertön (Tibetan: གཏེར་སྟོན་, Wylie: gter ston) is a discoverer of ancient texts or "terma". Many tertöns are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed. Nyingma scriptures were updated by terma discoveries, and terma teachings have guided many Buddhist and Bön practitioners.

According to generally accepted history, the rediscovering of terma began with the first tertön, Sangye Lama (1000–1080). Tertöns of outstanding importance were Padmasambhava (1124–1192), Guru Chowang (1212–1270), Rigdzin Gödem (1307–1408), Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405), Ratna Lingpa (1403–1478), Pema Lingpa (1450–1521), Migyur Dorje (1645–1667), and Jigme Lingpa (1729-1798), Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) and Orgyen Chokgyur Lingpa (1829–1870).

The "seal" of all tertöns is said to have been Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892). In one of his visions, he could clearly see all the terma that were hidden throughout Tibet and other countries. He was the only master in Tibetan history to have not only received, but also transmitted the "seven transmissions" (bka' babs bdun), that are the canonical teachings, treasures taken from the earth, reconcealed treasures, mind treasures, recollections, pure visions, and aural transmissions received in visions. (Ricard, undated).

Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa (1856-1926) was a Tibetan Buddhist tertön and a teacher of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.

As a child, Tertön Sogyal was taught by Nyala Pema Duddul,Patrul Rinpoche, and Khenpo Pema Vajra at Dzogchen Monastery.

In the later years of his life, he stayed near Dodrupchen Monastery, often exchanging teachings with Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima.

He died on the tenth day of the first lunar month of the year of the Fire Tiger (1926).

His disciples included the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso,Jamgön Kongtrul, the Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche (Thubten Chökyi Dorje), Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Vajra, Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, Nyoshul Lungtok, Dzahka Choktrul Rinpoche, Tertön Drimé, Kathok Situ, Minyak Khenpo Kunzang Sonam, Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima, Demo Rinpoche, Dorje Drak Rigdzin Nyamnyi Dorje (1886-1932/5), Minling Trichen Rinpoche, Sakya Trichen, the Fifteenth Karmapa Khakhyab Dorje, Amdo Geshe Jampal Rolwe Lodrö and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.

His disciples also included Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo (aka Tsüllo) of Shukjung Monastery, who composed a biography of Tertön Sogyal which is more than 700 pages long. His lineage also passed on to his sons, such as Rigdzin Namgyal and Chöpel Gyatso, and to his grandson, Tromgé Tulku Dechen Dorjé, who currently lives at the Tromgé encampment in eastern Tibet (Khams).

Sakya Trizin (Tibetan: ས་སྐྱ་ཁྲི་འཛིན།, ZYPY: Sa'gya Chizin, literally "Sakya Throne Holder"; Chinese: 萨迦法王 or 萨迦崔津) or Sa'gya Gongma Rinboqê (གོང་མ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།) is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo (a.k.a. Kön Gönqog Gyäbo), a member of Tibet’s noble Khön (Koin) family, established a monastery in the region of Sakya, Tibet, which became the headquarters of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Since that time, the leadership of the Sakya Order has descended within the Khön family.

The current Sakya Trizin is the 41st Sakya Trizin. His legal name is "Sakya Trizin" and he is referred to as His Holiness Sakya Trizin. His religious name is Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar Trinley Samphel Wangyi Gyalpo. H.H. Sakya Trizin is considered second only to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the spiritual hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sakya Trizin was born on September 7, 1945 in Tsedong, near Shigatse, Tibet. From his father, Vajradhara Ngawang Kunga Rinchen, he received important initiations and teachings in the Sakya lineage. He began intensive religious study at the age of five. In 1952, he was officially designated as the next Sakya Trizin by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. He continued intensive training from his main teacher Ngawang Lodroe Shenpen Nyingpo and many other famous Tibetan scholars, studying extensively in both the esoteric and exoteric Buddhist traditions. In 1959, at the age of fourteen, he was formally enthroned as head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. In the same year, due to the political situation in Tibet, the Sakya Trizin, his family, and many lamas and monks from the Sakya Monastery relocated to India.

Sogyal Rinpoche (Tibetan: བསོད་རྒྱལ་, Wylie: Bsod-rgyal) (born 1947) is a Tibetan Dzogchen lama of the Nyingma tradition. He has been teaching for over 30 years and continues to travel widely in Europe, America, Australia and Asia. He is also the founder and spiritual director of Rigpa—an international network of over 100 Buddhist centres and groups in 23 countries around the world—and the author of the best-selling book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which has been printed in 30 languages and 56 countries. He is known for his ability to present his understanding of Tibetan Buddhism using the language of contemporary Western thought. Significant controversy, due to claims of student abuse have been prominent for much of his career.

Rinpoche was born in 1947 into the Lakar family of the Trehor region of Kham, east Tibet.Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö recognized him as the incarnation of Tertön Sogyal and supervised his education at Dzongsar Monastery. He studied traditional subjects with several tutors, including Khenpo Appey, who was appointed as his tutor by Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.