Toh 2280Untitled

Commentary on Toh 2280 – Tengyur Treatise Collection

Context

Toh 2280 belongs to the Treatise Collection (Tengyur) of the Northern Tibetan tradition, a compilation of treatises and commentaries on the Dharma composed by bodhisattvas and Mahayana saints after Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana. In the context of Mahayana Buddhist studies, especially the Madhyamaka and Yogacara doctrines of the Northern Tibetan tradition, these treatises play an essential role in illustrating and defending the Dharma methods of liberation.

The Tengyur was compiled by Tibetan masters from the ninth to thirteenth centuries CE, translated from Sanskrit works and original teachings. Its purpose is to clarify the profound meaning of the Sutra Collection (Kangyur), guiding monastics and bodhisattvas on the path of realization. This Treatise Collection includes treatises on Dharma discipline, spirituality, reality, and especially the theory of emptiness (Sunyata), the central concept of the Mahayana.

Main Content

Although the title of the text has not been specifically identified, according to its position in the Tengyur, Toh 2280 belongs to the group of treatises on the Dharmakaya and the nature of the Buddha’s rupakaya. In the Mahayana tradition, the Dharmakaya is regarded as the absolute dimension of the Buddha, invisible, formless, and transcending all dualistic concepts. The Buddha’s rupakaya, comprising the Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya, is the manifestation of the Dharmakaya for the purpose of liberating sentient beings.

This treatise may teach that the Buddha is neither existent nor nonexistent, transcending all relative distinctions. This is the position of Madhyamaka when it refuses to attribute to the Buddha any absolute quality that can be conceptualized. The Dharmakaya is contemplative emptiness (Prajnaparamita), transcendent wisdom that sees the selflessness and lack of inherent nature of all phenomena.