Toh 1938Untitled

Explanation of Text Toh 1938 — Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Background

Toh 1938 is a treatise contained in the Tengyur (Bstan 'gyur), a collection of commentaries and early compositions of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Northern Tibetan tradition, grounded in Mahayana, recorded and preserved many works by eminent Indian masters, those who developed and clarified the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni.

The Treatise Collection (Śāstra) in the Tengyur represents a secondary yet extremely important level of understanding. These are not the Buddha’s direct words, but commentaries, analyses, and guidance that are sometimes even more profound, serving the understanding and practice of the Mahayana Dharma. The Northern Tibetan tradition regards these treatises as lights that guide the spiritual path of those who aspire to awakening.

Main Content

Although the title of Toh 1938 has not been fully translated into Vietnamese, this work lies within the context of Mahayana treatises dealing with essential matters: the nature of mind, the path to awakening (Bodhisattva-yāna), and the relationship between emptiness (śūnyatā) and immeasurable compassion (mahākaruṇā).

The Northern Tibetan tradition, especially through the Nyingma (ancient), Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug schools, emphasizes that philosophical understanding must be joined with the practice of meditative stability (dhyāna) and the development of compassion. A treatise in the Tengyur often explores how wisdom (prajñāpāramitā — supreme wisdom) functions to purify root ignorance, helping the practitioner advance toward Buddhahood.

In the Mahayana context, bodhisattvas are those who have vowed to defer personal nirvana in order to liberate all sentient beings. The treatises in the Tengyur often go deeply into the logic of compassionate action, how wisdom and loving-kindness work together as remedies, and why bodhisattva practice creates the conditions for attaining unsurpassed Buddhahood.