Toh 1732Untitled

Exposition of Toh 1732 - Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Context

Toh 1732 is collected in the Tengyur, the largest collection of treatises in Tibetan Buddhism, completed in the ninth century. This work represents the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, where the doctrine of Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva path, and active practice for liberating oneself and liberating others are placed at the center.

In this context, commentarial treatises were composed to explain the scriptures deeply, clarifying hidden meanings that other lineages might overlook. The Tengyur contains more than three thousand works, ranging from commentaries on meditation practice to works on logic and epistemology. Toh 1732 belongs to the class of important treatises, although its specific title has not been fully transmitted in the currently available sources.

Main Content

Although the detailed content of Toh 1732 has not yet been fully translated, we can grasp the general spirit of this type of Northern Tibetan treatise. Works belonging to the Tengyur often focus on three core themes:

First is selflessness (anātmavāda), the doctrine that there is no independent, autonomous “self” that exists forever. Northern Tibetan treatises explain that this does not deny the existence of phenomenal persons, but denies an immutable, independent essence.

Second is Buddha-nature, the concept that all sentient beings have the capacity to become Buddhas. This distinguishes Northern Tibetan Mahayana from other traditions, as it affirms that awakening is not reserved only for the chosen, but is a universal potential.

Third is the bodhisattva path, the path of active cultivation, compassion, ethics, and wisdom, aimed at attaining buddhahood in order to liberate immeasurable sentient beings, not merely for one’s own liberation.