Toh 1639Untitled

Explanation of the Scripture Toh 1639 — Tengyur (Tibetan Abhidharma Treatise)

Background

Toh 1639 is a treatise belonging to the Tengyur, the collection of commentaries, treatises, and supplementary teachings of the Mahayana tradition of the Northern Tibetan transmission. The Tengyur was compiled from the works of Indian masters and translated into Tibetan in order to clarify and develop the teachings of the Buddha.

The Northern Tibetan tradition (Tibetan Vajrayana) took shape around the eighth to tenth centuries, deeply receiving Mahayana theories from the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools while also combining them with distinctive methods of practice using creative visualization (sadhana) and empowerment. The Abhidharma, in this context as an expanded Abhidharma Pitaka, is not only a set of elementary analyses of dharmas but also a profound philosophy concerning the nature of mind (citta), cognition (jnana), and reality (tattva).

The scripture Toh 1639, although its title is not clear in the descriptive information, belongs to the line of treatises intended to explain and defend the teachings of the Buddha Dharma in the light of Madhyamaka philosophy or profound analyses of consciousness.

Main Content

Treatises in the Tengyur often focus on three main aspects: (1) analysis of the nature of selflessness (sunyata) and the absence of intrinsic essence in all dharmas; (2) explanation of the two truths, conventional truth (samvrti-satya) and ultimate truth (paramartha-satya); (3) step-by-step guidance in practice leading to the realization of Buddhahood.

In the Tibetan context, treatises such as Toh 1639 emphasize the close relationship between philosophical theory (tarka) and meditative practice (bhavana). Selflessness is not an abstract concept but a fact that can be directly experienced through deep contemplation. These treatises also commonly discuss the four seals (mudra) in the Buddha Dharma: (1) all conditioned dharmas are impermanent; (2) all dharmas involving afflictions are suffering; (3) all dharmas are selfless; (4) nirvana is peace.