Toh 2243Untitled

Explanation of the Tengyur Śāstrapiṭaka Toh 2243

Mahayana Tradition — Northern Tibetan Transmission

Context

This sutra is part of the Tengyur (Bstan 'gyur), the collection of Tibetan Buddhist scriptural commentaries compiled from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries. The Tengyur contains exegetical works by Indian masters who practiced according to the Mahayana and mantra traditions, along with commentaries by eminent Tibetan Buddhist scholars. The number Toh 2243 designates a work in the Śāstra Pitaka, the section containing the philosophical statements and practical instructions of venerable predecessors.

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, these treatises are regarded as bridges between the original teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, recorded in the Sutra Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka, and the concrete practice of disciples. They are not independent compositions, but the natural development of the Dharma, expressed in the form of theory and practical guidance by holy beings who directly attained the mind of the Buddha.

Main Content

Although the specific title of Toh 2243 has not been fully translated in the available descriptive information, based on its position in the Tengyur, this treatise is related to important aspects of the Mahayana: possibly the bodhisattva path, the doctrine of Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature), or advanced practices such as the realization of mind (Bodhi Mind/Bodhicitta) and omniscience (Sarvajna).

Treatises in the Tengyur often discuss how a bodhisattva gives rise to the mind of bodhi and practices the Six Paramitas: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. They also explore the nature of Tathāgatagarbha, the idea that all beings possess innate Buddha-nature, which is only obscured by ignorant mind (Avidya) and by greed, hatred, and delusion.