Toh 1377Untitled

Exposition of Toh 1377 — The Mahāyāna Northern Tibetan Tradition

Background

Scripture Toh 1377 belongs to the Tengyur, the collection of commentaries, treatises, and mind instructions of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In the Mahāyāna Northern Tibetan tradition, the works in the Tengyur are regarded as secondary teachings that help practitioners better understand the Kangyur, the canonical scriptures containing the direct teachings of the Buddha.

This tradition is deeply influenced by later Indian Buddhism, especially the Yogācāra, Madhyamaka, and tantric schools. Toh 1377, although its title has not been specifically identified, is regarded as a work of high theoretical value in the process of Mahāyāna practice and realization.

Main Contents

The specific content of this scripture has not been fully translated here. However, based on the general context of Tengyur treatises in the Northern Tibetan tradition, works with numbers close to Toh 1377 often focus on explaining the basic and advanced aspects of the bodhisattva path, especially the bodhisattva-piṭaka.

These treatises often explore themes such as tathatā and the understanding that it is not non-reality but the ultimate reality, inconceivable by thought; the Four Noble Truths in the Mahāyāna framework; the refuges of the bodhisattva and the acquiescence to the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti), the acceptance that dharmas neither arise nor cease; and the path of practice for those who aim for buddhahood through the bodhisattva path.

These treatises also especially emphasize the role of bodhisattvas of the various levels (bhumis) in accumulating merit and wisdom (puṇya and jñāna), together with tantric elements such as focused meditation (samādhi) on yidams (iṣṭadevatā) in order to transform consciousness.