Toh 2380Untitled

Exposition of Tengyur Toh 2380 (Northern Transmission)

Context

The Tengyur is a collection of treatises and commentaries of Tibetan Buddhism, containing the accumulated wisdom of eminent adepts of the Mahayana tradition. Toh 2380 belongs to the Treatise Collection (Sastras), where bodhisattvas and eminent scholars developed and explained the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha in order to serve the practice needs of sentient beings.

In the context of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana, each treatise is regarded as a continuation of the tradition of Dharma methods from India, through Tibet, and finally translated and preserved in the Buddhist canon. This scripture reflects the practice and awakening of the bodhisattvas, those who have committed themselves to the benefit of immeasurable sentient beings.

Main Content

Although the title has not been specifically identified, Toh 2380 in the Tengyur is often related to core Mahayana themes: bodhisattva conduct (Bodhisattva-carya), Dharmakaya, or treatises on emptiness (sunyata) and wisdom and skillful means (upaya-jnana).

The treatises in the Tengyur were composed to explain how we may understand the nature of reality and the path of liberation. They emphasize that all phenomena lack independent reality, and that the correct recognition of this is the key to escaping the cycle of samsara (samsara).

From the perspective of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana, the human mind has unlimited capacity to develop compassion, wisdom, and aspiration. This study text guides us to recognize that Buddha-nature exists in all sentient beings, and that the goal of practice is to awaken and perfect that nature.

Practical Meaning

For a modern practitioner, Toh 2380 suggests how to practice the bodhisattva path in daily life. Without needing to abandon the world, we can still cultivate compassion through every action, word, and thought.