Toh 2991Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 2991 — Tengyur Treatise Collection

Context

Toh 2991 is a work belonging to the Treatise Collection (Tengyur) of the Northern Tibetan tradition, the collection of commentaries and annotations on the Buddhadharma compiled and translated successively from the seventh to the twelfth century in Tibet. Although the specific title has not been fully transmitted in this document, this work reflects the spirit of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana, especially the combination of the Madhyamaka school, Yogacara, and the teaching on Original Mind (Buddha-nature).

The Treatise Collection in general is the place where profound explanations by Mahayana masters are preserved, especially those of great exegetes such as Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, and their disciples. These works help practitioners clearly understand the intended meaning of the scriptures and apply it in practice.

Main Content

Although there is no specific title, commentaries in the Tengyur often focus on core themes of the Mahayana: the nature of mind (citta-svabhava), relative and ultimate emptiness (samvrti-satya and paramartha-satya), the bodhisattva path, and especially the concept of Original Mind, the idea that all beings possess Buddha-nature and the capacity to become Buddhas.

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, works such as this emphasize that ignorance (avidya) is not the fundamental nature of mind, but only a temporary impurity that can be removed through practice and wisdom (prajna). The Initial Mind (Rigpa, in the Dzogchen tradition, or Tathagatagarbha in the Tathagatagarbha sutras) is described as luminous, pure, and not instantly obscured by consciousness.

These commentaries also explain the relationship between the Four Noble Truths (Catvari-aryasatyani) and the Mahayana, and the way the bodhisattva path goes beyond the search for one's own private nirvana in order to benefit immeasurable beings.