Toh 2639Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 2639 - Northern Canon

Context

This scripture belongs to the Treatise Collection (Abhidharmakosha) in the Tengyur of the Northern Canon, representing the Mahayana Buddhist Dharma tradition of Tibet. The Tengyur is a collection of treatises and commentaries by great Buddhist scholars, translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, preserving profound instructions from the time of the Buddha and the Buddhist schools.

The opening orientation of this scripture is situated in the context of Tibetan Buddhism, where practitioners are encouraged to practice the bodhisattva path, the path of forming bodhicitta in order to seek liberation not only for oneself but also for the benefit of beings. From the seventh century onward, when Buddhism entered Tibet, masters such as Vasubandhu, Dignāga, and Dharmakīrti left indispensable works, which were compiled into the Tengyur in order to educate monks, nuns, and patrons in the Dharma.

Main Content

Although the scripture’s title has not been fully published, the content of Toh 2639 focuses on core issues of Tibetan Buddhism, possibly related to analysis of dharmas, the nature of mind, or principles of cause and effect (karma). According to the Northern Tibetan tradition, the masters analyzed in detail the twelve links of dependent origination (dvādaśa pratītyasamutpāda) in order to clarify the mechanism of samsāra and the path out of it.

This scripture may refer to skilled approaches or to the teachings of the Mind-Only (Cittamātra) or Madhyamaka schools, the two principal schools of Mahayana Buddhism. In these, the Mind-Only teaching focuses on the nature of mind and cognition, while Madhyamaka analyzes the absence of intrinsic nature (śūnyatā) of all dharmas. These teachings are presented through rigorous logical reasoning, using profound examples to help students clearly understand the nature of reality and the path of practice.