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Exposition of the Treatise Piṭaka in the Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Background

The Treatise Piṭaka, Tengyur, in the Northern Tibetan transmission is a collection of works explaining the Buddhadharma, composed by great masters from India and later by Tibetan scholars in order to clarify the profound meaning of the Buddhist scriptures. Unlike the Scripture Piṭaka, Kangyur, which consists of direct Dharma teachings of the Buddha, the Treatise Piṭaka includes commentaries, doctrines, and instructions for practice by bodhisattvas, arhats, and the most accomplished Dharma masters in the Mahayana tradition.

The Northern Tibetan tradition, also called Tibetan Buddhism, gives special importance to the inheritance and interpretation of Dharma treatises. This is where treatises on Vajrayāna, commentaries on Madhyamaka doctrine, Yogācāra doctrine, and other profound spiritual systems are gathered. Each treatise in the Tengyur is a key that opens wider understanding of the scriptures, helping practitioners avoid mistakes and enter the proper course of Buddhadharma practice.

Main Contents

Although the specific title of this scripture or treatise has not yet been identified, in the spirit of the Tengyur its content would revolve around one of the major themes of the Mahayana: realization of the nature of Buddha-nature in all beings, the bodhisattva path of practice, or the distinctive meditation methods of the Northern Tibetan tradition.

In the Mahayana, especially in the Tibetan tradition, practitioners are encouraged to recognize that the original mind, rigpa, the luminous awareness of mind, is pure, unborn, and without marks. This is not a preliminary understanding as in the Lesser Vehicle, but a thorough rediscovery of the selfless and empty nature (śūnyatā) of all dharmas. The Treatise Piṭaka often provides logical evidence, references to scriptures, and step-by-step guidance for applying this teaching in meditation practice.