Toh 1676Untitled

Exposition of the Toh 1676 Scripture — Northern Canon

Context

This scripture belongs to the Tengyur — the Treatise Collection of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, compiled and translated during the golden age of the Buddha Dharma in Tibet (8th-12th centuries). The Tengyur is a collection of commentaries, annotations, and teachings of great ancestral masters, supplementing the scriptural collection (Kangyur) so that scholars may understand the Buddha’s teachings more clearly.

In the context of the Northern Tibetan tradition, especially the Gelug, Sakya, and Nyingma schools, these treatises are regarded as an important bridge between the Buddha’s word and the contemplation of individual practitioners. Their purpose is not only to interpret theory, but also to indicate the practical path of cultivation by which one may escape saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) and attain buddhahood.

Main Content

Although the title has not been clearly identified, treatises in the Tengyur often revolve around core themes: the theory of non-self (śūnyatā), Buddha-nature, the pure mind (sugatagarbha), or the skillful means (upāya) of Mahayana bodhisattvas.

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, treatise authors such as Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Vasubandhu, and Asanga developed profound theories concerning the nature of reality. They demonstrate that all phenomena are empty (śūnya) — without any distinct, independent self-nature. Yet this emptiness is not sheer nothingness, but dependent arising (pratītyasamutpāda) — the fact that all things depend upon one another.

These treatises also emphasize the importance of compassion (karuṇā) and bodhicitta — the bodhisattvas’ aspiration to liberate beings. This is the heart of Mahayana, transforming theoretical knowledge into the motivation for altruistic and selfless action.

Practical Meaning

For those who practice according to the Northern Tibetan tradition today, treatises such as this scripture provide a firm theoretical foundation for gradual practice.