Toh 1313Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 1313 - Tengyur Treatise Canon

Mahayana Tradition of the Northern Tibetan Canon

Context

Scripture Toh 1313 belongs to the Treatise Canon (Śāstra) in the Tengyur of the Northern Transmission Canon, a collection of treatises that explain and develop the teachings of the Buddha Dharma. The Tengyur was compiled from the 8th to the 12th century and contains more than 3,600 works by Indian sages and great Tibetan teachers. The Treatise Canon is especially a treasury of supramundane knowledge, preserving the Mahayana philosophical and practical tradition at its deepest level.

Although the official title has not yet been fully translated into Vietnamese, this treatise lies within the line of the “Northern Transmission,” where the Mahāyāna teachings are combined with Tibetan philosophy, emphasizing the clarity of mind, Buddha-nature, and the bodhisattva path. The scripture was written in the ancient Sanskrit language and then translated into Tibetan, reflecting the effort to preserve and develop Dharma methods across cultures.

Main Content

Treatises in the Tengyur such as Toh 1313 often focus on designation (prajñapti), analysis of reality (sunyatā), and methods of cultivation leading to awakening. The Mahayana tradition of the Northern Tibetan Canon affirms that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature (Buddha-dhātu), and that awakening can be attained through cultivation of the bodhisattva path.

This treatise may go deeply into central matters such as: (1) the nature of mind (cittavṛtti), discussing how the mind functions and can be trained; (2) the theory of the threefold world (Triloka) and how to transcend it; (3) the relationship between relative knowledge (samvṛti-satya) and ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya); (4) the bodhisattva path and the arousing of bodhicitta.

Tibetan learning is central to the Tengyur, and these treatises were written to guide faithful practitioners beyond the misconception of self (ātmavāda) and toward complete liberation (mokṣa).