Toh 2772Untitled

Exposition of the Treatise Collection (Toh 2772) — Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Context

In the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, the Treatise Collection (Tengyur) is a collection of commentaries and treatises on Buddhist scriptures, compiled primarily on the basis of the analyses and teachings of great holy beings such as Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, and other early masters. This work, Toh 2772, belongs to one of the important scholastic divisions of the Northern Tibetan canon, where central issues of the Buddha Dharma are analyzed profoundly according to the logical and philosophical methods of Madhyamaka or Yogacara.

The period of compilation of the Treatise Collection extended from the eighth to the fourteenth century, when learned masters of the Buddha Dharma from India were invited to Tibet to translate and teach. These treatises are regarded as keys to correctly understanding the intent of the holy Dharma, because they explain subtle details that the scriptures only suggest without fully developing.

Main Content

Although the title of the work has not been fully identified, according to its position in the Tengyur, Toh 2772 may be a commentary on central aspects of Mahayana doctrine. Treatises often focus on issues such as self (atman) and non-self (anatman), the nature of mind and cognition (cittavijnana), the relationship between phenomena and ultimate reality, or especially the path of bodhisattvas and the means of practice for attaining Buddhahood.

In the Northern Tibetan context, these treatises are often taught together with the Madhyamaka Prasangika or Yogacara systems, in order to refine understanding of emptiness (sunyata) and the true nature of all dharmas. They provide logical arguments to refute erroneous views and indicate the precise path of practice leading to enlightenment.

Practical Meaning

For monastics and Buddhists practicing according to Northern Tibetan Mahayana, deep study of these treatises is not a matter of memorizing abstract knowledge, but a process of training wisdom (prajna) so as gradually to break through psychological attachments.