Toh 1266Untitled

Exposition of the Tengyur Work Toh 1266

Context

The Tengyur (Bstan 'gyur) is a collection of commentaries and annotations on the sutras of the Buddha, compiled and translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan from the ninth century onward. Toh 1266 is a work belonging to the Treatise Collection (Shāstra), a genre that gives profound exposition of Mahayana teachings, especially the Northern Tibetan tradition (Vajrayāna Tibetan Buddhism), which later developed into schools such as Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug.

Although the title has not been specifically identified, works in the treasury of the Tengyur are often related to core matters: the nature of mind (chitta), the nature of the bodhisattva path, or lofty methods of practice. The Northern Tibetan tradition gives special emphasis to unifying two foundations: the theory of emptiness (Śūnyatā) from the Madhyamaka school, and Tantric practices aimed at transforming mind and consciousness.

Main Contents

The treatises in the Tengyur, whatever their specific contents may be, follow the methodology of Indian logic — using reasoning, refuting mistaken views, and establishing truth through rational analysis. In the Northern Tibetan tradition, especially in the Gelug school of the great master Tsongkhapa, every commentary aims toward the final goal: helping the practitioner attain awakening (Bodhi) through the union of the Pratimoksha discipline, bodhicitta, and the wisdom mind (Prajñapāramitā).

Toh 1266, as a work of the Treatise Collection, may address such themes as: the means of overcoming delusions (kleshas) through esoteric methods; the true definition of Artha — actual things or true meaning; or the relation between the individual mind and the Dharmakaya of the buddhas.