Toh 2735Untitled

Toh 2735 — Avalokitesvarasya Stuti

AI Interpretation (Inti Dharma)

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Source Status

The full source text of the work numbered Toh 2735 in the Tengyur has not yet been directly collated in the process of preparing this interpretation. What can be determined is based chiefly on the identifying code avalokitesvarasya-stuti, its catalogue number in the Tengyur within the Tibetan Treatise Collection, and the Northern Mahayana tradition. This interpretation is not a translation of the root scripture, does not reproduce the original wording, and does not add any episode or content beyond what can be determined from the descriptive information provided. Readers who wish to access the complete text should consult the Tibetan directly in a standard Tengyur collection.

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Context

Toh 2735 belongs to the Tengyur: the Treatise Collection of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tengyur is a vast collection of commentaries, exegetical notes, hymns, and ancillary works translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, usually placed alongside the Kangyur, the Scripture Collection containing the direct words of the Buddha. The works in the Tengyur were composed by Indian and Tibetan masters, scholars, and practitioners for the purpose of explaining, praising, or practicing on the basis of Mahayana doctrine.

The identifying code avalokitesvarasya-stuti indicates that this work is a stuti, that is, a hymn or praise, addressed to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, one of the central bodhisattvas of Mahayana and Vajrayana. The stuti genre, hymnic praise, is a very common form of Buddhist literature in the Indian and Tibetan traditions, functioning both spiritually and literarily: it praises the virtues, qualities, and liberating power of an object of refuge or meditative contemplation.

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Content Determinable from the Descriptive Information

Based on the title Avalokitesvarasya Stuti, several general features of the content can be determined according to the genre:

1. Object of praise — Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva:
Avalokiteshvara is the bodhisattva who represents great compassion (mahakaruna), one of the two foundational qualities of the Mahayana path alongside wisdom (prajna). In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokiteshvara is revered as the protective yidam of Tibet, appearing in diverse forms such as four-armed Chenrezig, Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara, and many other emanational forms. A stuti addressed to this bodhisattva usually praises his immeasurable compassion, his power of vows to liberate all beings, and his ability to hear the cries of all living beings.

*2. Hymnic form (stuti):*
Stutis in the Tengyur are often written in classical Sanskrit meters (shloka, arya, or other metrical rules), including passages that praise the virtues, names, and deeds of the bodhisattva in question. They are not necessarily systematic in doctrine like treatises, but incline toward spiritual emotional depth and devotion (bhakti, or mögu in Tibetan).

3. Place in the Treatise Collection:
The fact that the work is placed in the Tengyur, the Treatise Collection, rather than the Kangyur, indicates that it is a composition by a later author and not a direct teaching spoken by the Buddha. The specific author of Toh 2735 is not recorded in the descriptive information presently available.

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Meaning for Study and Practice

In the context of Mahayana and Vajrayana practice, stutis praising bodhisattvas are not merely devotional literature, but also carry practical significance for cultivation:

• Nurturing great compassion: Reciting and contemplating the qualities of Avalokiteshvara helps the practitioner arouse and strengthen the seed of great compassion in the mind, turning toward the ideal of bodhicitta.
• Establishing connection with the yidam: In Vajrayana practice, praise is a means of establishing and increasing the spiritual connection between the practitioner and the yidam, creating a foundation for deeper practices.
• Purification and accumulation of merit: The Tibetan tradition regards reciting stutis as an act of accumulating merit and purifying karmic obscurations, especially when the practitioner recites with a clear mind and proper attention.
• Reminder of awakened nature: Praising the immeasurable qualities of the bodhisattva is also an indirect reminder that Buddha-nature, the ground of those qualities, is not outside the mind of each sentient being.

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Collation Note

Because the full text of Toh 2735 has not been collated within the scope of this preparation, any more detailed interpretation concerning the author, the structure of the hymn, the number of verses, or the specific doctrinal content cannot yet be confirmed. Researchers should refer directly to the Tibetan in standard Tengyur archives for accurate and complete information about this work.