Among the many tertons Nyingma and Bon tradition recognizes, Chogyur Lingpa (1829-1870) offers a well-documented case study of how the treasure tradition actually operated, closely associated as he was with two of the most influential figures of the non-sectarian (Rime) movement.
Chogyur Lingpa worked with Jamgon Kongtrul and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the movement's two most prominent scholars, who helped authenticate and disseminate his revelations, illustrating the institutional validation process the main entry mentions: a terton's revelations gained wider acceptance partly through endorsement by respected scholars outside his own lineage, functioning as peer review within a system with no single central authority able to certify revelation unilaterally. His revelations, encompassing texts, ritual cycles and site identifications across eastern Tibet, were substantial enough that Kongtrul incorporated a significant body of terma material into the Rinchen Terdzo, an anthology that remains a central textual collection of Nyingma practice today.
The case illustrates a pattern distinct from the earlier, more solitary model of figures like Padmasambhava's own concealment: by the nineteenth century, treasure revelation had become embedded in a recognizable process involving collaboration between tertons and established scholars, formal compilation into lasting anthologies, and integration into the ecumenical project the Rime movement pursued of preserving teachings across sectarian lines.