Toh 1395Untitled

Exposition of Toh 1395 — From the Tengyur Treatise Collection

Background

This scripture belongs to the Tengyur (Bka' 'gyur), the collection of treatises and commentaries by Mahayana noble sages in the Northern Tibetan tradition. Situated within the Treatise Collection (Shing rta'i sgra), scripture Toh 1395 represents one of the most profound philosophical works of Mahāyāna Buddhism, where bodhisattvas inherited and developed great sutras such as the Avataṃsaka Sutra, the Dharma Jewel Sutra, and the Prajnaparamita in Eight Hundred Lines.

In the context of Northern Tibetan Buddhist study, works in the Treatise Collection are regarded as guiding torches, helping practitioners not to stray from the spirit of the Dharma. They are the products of skillful bodhisattvas, spiritual beings who deeply understood the Buddha’s essential intent, and who thereby composed works to teach beings in different ages.

Main Content

Although the name of this scripture has not yet been fully translated into Vietnamese, its content lies within the field of traditional Buddhist scholasticism and may be related to one of the fundamental topics of Mahayana: the reality of Mind (Cittamātra/Sems-tsam), the theory of Buddha-nature (Buddhadhātu), or the doctrine of the Middle Way (Madhyamaka).

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, such scriptural treatises often make a profound investigation into the nature of the bodhisattva mind, the functioning of causes and conditions (Hetu-Pratyaya), and especially the theory of emptiness (Śūnyatā/Stong-pa-nyid). These treatises are not general teachings for everyone, but works intended for monastics who have mastered the foundational scriptures, those who are ready to understand more deeply the true nature of existence.

In particular, works in the Tengyur Treatise Collection often emphasize that the Buddhadharma is not a system of doctrines to be trusted blindly, but must be verified through reasoning and direct contemplation.