Toh 3045Untitled

Exposition of Toh 3045 — Northern Canon Mahayana Tradition

Context

Toh 3045 belongs to the Tengyur (Bka' 'gyur rgyas 'debs), that is, the Commentary Canon of the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist tradition. This is a collection of treatises and commentaries on the Buddha Dharma, compiled under the authentication of Tibetan Buddhist Dharma masters from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. The Tengyur comprises more than 200 volumes and contains the profound teachings of bodhisattvas and great Dharma masters from ancient India.

The position of Toh 3045 in the Commentary Canon indicates that this is a work explaining essential aspects of the Bodhisattva Vehicle (Bodhisattva-yana). This text deeply reflects Mahayana philosophy, in which the ultimate aim is not personal realization (arhatship), but Buddhahood in order to liberate all beings from suffering.

Main Content

Although the title has not yet been fully translated from Sanskrit into Vietnamese, based on its position in the Tengyur, this text focuses on fundamental theories concerning bodhisattva conduct (Bodhisattva-carya), that is, the practices and cultivation of a bodhisattva, those who have generated bodhicitta in order to become Buddhas and liberate countless beings.

This text may address core matters such as: (1) the Four Perfect Minds (Catvary-avenikani sutrani), namely the unsurpassed attainments of the Buddha; (2) the ten stages of the bodhisattva (Dasa-bhumi), each level of the path reaching a different accomplishment; (3) the Six Paramitas or Ten Paramitas, altruistic actions such as generosity, moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, the Tengyur also contains teachings on dependent arising (Pratityasamutpada) and emptiness (Sunyata), the foundations for deeply understanding the Dharmakaya and the three kayas of the Buddha.