The Ka-Ter Translation Project – KA-TER Translation Project

The work on translation of unique and sacred Tibetan texts has always been an important task of the Shang Shung Institute. In 2002 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu entrusted the Shang Shung Institute Austria with the financial responsibility of the extraordinary project and asked the very experienced and long-time translators and Tibetologists Adriano Clemente, Elio Guarisco and Jim Valby to collaborate with this new project for translating from Tibetan.

The mission of the Ka-ter translation project is first of all to guarantee qualified translations of the ancient wisdom, knowledge and experience of Tibetan culture into western languages, and to offer possibilities to study and learn Tibetan and to deepen ones knowledge in order to become a qualified translator.

The term Ka stands for Kama (bka’ ma) and the term Ter stands for Terma (gter ma). Kama and Terma are two of the main traditions of the Nyingma school. Kama is the oral lineage of the Nyingma school, the teachings translated during the period when Guru Padmasambhava stayed in Tibet and which have been transmitted from master to student until the present day. Terma signifies the transmission through concealed “treasure” teachings that were hidden mainly by Guru Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal, in order to be discovered at the proper time by a terton or treasure revealer.