Toh 2917Untitled

Explanation of Scripture Toh 2917 — The Tibetan Treatise Collection

Context

Toh 2917 from the Treatise Collection (Tengyur) of the Tibetan Mahayana tradition is part of one of the most complex bodies of literature in Mahayana Buddhism: the collection of commentaries on profound Dharma methods concerning the foundation of the bodhisattva path. The Treatise Collection was compiled around the eleventh to thirteenth centuries in Tibet, gathering explanations from outstanding Indian and Tibetan teachers in order to clarify difficult issues in the Scriptural Collection.

Although the title of this scripture has not been completely translated, based on its position in the Tengyur, this scripture belongs to the field of commentaries on the practices of bodhisattvas, and may especially relate to the grounds of mind or the actions of those of supreme accomplishment on the bodhisattva path. This is part of the lineage of Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) and the disciples of the Gelug school, who value clear understanding of the intention of the scriptures through the explanations of learned masters.

Main Content

The commentaries in the Tengyur often focus on three main axes: correct understanding of emptiness (Śūnyatā), practice of the six profound Buddhist perfections (the Six Paramitas), and development of bodhicitta, the aspiration for awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Scripture Toh 2917 most likely discusses the subtleties in the process of practice, such as how a bodhisattva acts with a compassionate mind while also applying the wisdom that realizes emptiness.

In the Tibetan Mahayana tradition, the emphasis is on the unity of skillful means (upāya) and wisdom (prajñā). The bodhisattva does not practice only in order to escape suffering, but for the awakening of all sentient beings, while knowing that sentient beings and their characteristics have no intrinsic nature (svabhāva). This is a contradiction that appears impossible to reconcile, yet it is the core of the Mahayana Buddha Dharma: compassionate action free from conceptual fixation.