Toh 2817Untitled

Exposition of Toh 2817 — The Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Background

Toh 2817 is found in the Tengyur (Bka' 'gyur — Treatise Piṭaka) of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a collection containing treatises that explain and develop Buddhist theory according to the Mahayana tradition. In the Tibetan system of classification, the Treatise Piṭaka is divided into many categories, with emphasis on the works of great masters of treatise such as Aryadeva, Candrakīrti, and Vasubandhu.

Although the title of the scripture has not been precisely identified, based on its position in the Tengyur, this is a treatise belonging to the Madhyamaka school or other Mahayana schools, focusing on fundamental issues of Buddhist philosophy. The period of composition and translation was around the eighth to twelfth centuries, when scriptures were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by means of Sanskrit-Tibetan scholarship.

Main Content

Within the context of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, treatises often deal with profound subjects concerning the nature of reality, intrinsic nature (svabhāva), and the path of awakening of bodhisattvas. Although the specific content of this scripture has not yet been fully translated into Vietnamese, it may be understood as belonging to one of the principal theoretical approaches:

Madhyamaka Aspect: The scripture may analyze the empty nature (śūnyatā) of phenomena, refute absolute independent existence, and point out the interdependent relation of all things. This is the basis for understanding that all dharmas lack any fixed intrinsic nature.

Aspect of Study and Practice (Abhidharma): The scripture may analyze factors of mind (dharma), the various kinds of evil, afflictions, and the way they interact to form the cycle of samsara.

The Tibetan tradition places importance on logic and debate (rtsod spyod), so this scripture may contain rigorous arguments intended to defend Buddhist principles against other views.