Toh 1623Untitled

Explanation of Scripture Number 1623 - Tengyur (Tibetan Treatise Collection)

Context

Scripture number 1623 in the Tengyur (Treatise Collection — Bstan-'gyur), the canon of the Northern Transmission Tibetan Mahayana tradition, is a profound exegetical work belonging to the treasury of Buddhist Dharma materials translated and compiled during the great translation period of Tibetan and Bhārata scholars. The Tengyur consists of more than 3,600 works and is a collection of the most refined explanations, commentaries, and analyses by Mahāyāna masters concerning the traditions in the basic Pāli canon (Kangyur).

Although the specific title has not been fully disclosed in the descriptive information, works in the Tengyur often focus on explaining Mahayana Buddhist Dharma principles, especially the doctrines of Tathatā (suchness — the true nature of all dharmas), Śūnyatā (emptiness — the absence of intrinsic nature), and the bodhisattva path of practice leading to bodhi. This context reflects the affirmation in Tibetan Buddhism of the importance of commentaries and treatises in illuminating the profound meaning of the scriptures.

Main Contents

The works in the Tengyur explain, one by one, each aspect of the Dharma, from theories of consciousness (Vijñaptimātratā — mind-only doctrine) to practices of meditation and cultivation of the bodhisattva path. Scripture number 1623 may belong to one of these main currents: either a commentary on the nature of mind and cognition, or a detailed instruction on the stages of Mahāyāna practice.

In the Northern Transmission Tibetan Mahayana tradition, these treatises especially emphasize the understanding that all phenomena are without self-nature (anātman), and that the correct recognition of this emptiness is not a destruction or negation, but a liberation from mistaken conceptions. They also often explore the relationship between philosophical reasoning and practical cultivation, helping students not only to understand theory but also to apply it on the path of transformation (paryavṛtti — transformation of mind).