Toh 1964Untitled

Exposition of the Scripture Toh 1964 — An Excerpt from the Tengyur Treatise Collection

Background

The scripture Toh 1964 is a treatise within the Tengyur of the Northern Tibetan tradition, gathering profound explanations and discourses on the Buddha Dharma from learned Buddhist masters. The Northern Mahayana Tibetan tradition values the union of clear theory with practical cultivation. The treatises in the Tengyur are intended to illuminate the seeds of Dharma sown by Buddha Shakyamuni, helping Mahayana practitioners to understand deeply the aim of liberation and the benefit of beings.

Although the title is not clearly recorded, this scripture still represents an important aspect of the Treatise Collection. Works in the Tengyur often focus on analyzing emptiness (shunyata), the Buddha’s Dharmakaya, or the manifestations of the Buddha’s wisdom in the course of bodhisattva practice.

Main Content

In the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, treatises often explore in depth the truths set forth in the Mahayana sutras. We understand that the Buddha Dharma is not merely outward teachings, but a complete guidance for transforming the mind. This treatise, like other treatises in the Tengyur, may focus on one of the essential themes:

First, a profound exploration of the true nature of dharmas. According to the Mahayana, all dharmas are originally without self-nature (anatman, svabhava-shunya). True understanding of this is not an irrational negation, but the recognition of the continuity and interrelatedness of all things. This is the foundation for developing boundless compassion.

Second, the treatises in the Tengyur often analyze the path of bodhisattva practice. From the stage of giving rise to bodhicitta (the supreme mind of awakening) to the completion of immeasurable accumulations of merit, this path requires clear understanding of its purpose: to liberate all beings from samsara.

Third, these treatises may also unfold skillful means (upaya-kaushalya).