Toh 1680Untitled

Exposition of the Tengyur Treatise Collection (Toh 1680)

Mahayana Tradition — Northern Tibetan Tradition

Context

Toh 1680 is a treatise belonging to the Tengyur, the Treatise Collection of the Tibetan tradition. The Tengyur consists of 213 volumes recording the commentaries and annotations of great Buddhist masters, especially the works of Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Vasubandhu, and other bodhisattvas. These treatises were translated mainly from Sanskrit into Tibetan between the 8th and 12th centuries, when Tibetan Buddhism developed into a systematic tradition of practice with profound philosophical explanations.

The Tibetan Treatise Collection differs from the Pali canon of the Hinayana tradition in that it focuses on bodhisattva activity and teachings on the One Mind (Tathagatagarbha), urging practitioners to realize that all sentient beings possess latent Buddha-nature. The Tengyur is not only a collection of commentaries, but also of independent treatises exploring philosophical, ethical, and dharmakaya-related questions concerning the Buddha.

Main Content

Although the specific content of this scripture has not yet been fully translated, works in the Tengyur (Toh 1680) often focus on core themes of Tibetan Mahayana: the gradual practice leading to awakening, the nature of emptiness (Śūnyatā) and Buddha-mind, as well as bodhisattva conduct (Bodhisattva-caryā).

In the spirit of the Northern Tibetan tradition, these treatises explain how the Buddha’s teachings were inherited and developed through schools such as Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya. They emphasize the importance of a capable teacher (guru) to guide the practitioner, employing the methods of Secret Mantra (Tantra) in addition to ordinary forms of practice.

The treatises also address complex issues: how can the emptiness of phenomena be recognized not as indeterminacy, but as liberation from illusions? How can a bodhisattva practice the six paramitas (the six perfections) while still engaging in positive activity? These questions are answered through rigorous logical demonstrations.