Toh 3069Untitled

Exposition of the Northern Transmission Canon - Tengyur (Toh 3069)

Context

This scripture belongs to the Tengyur (མཁས་པའི་དགའ་སྟོན་), that is, the Treatise Collection of the Mahayana tradition of the Northern Transmission, which preserves the commentaries, treatises, and instructions of masters of the Buddhadharma after the time of the Buddha. Toh 3069 is found within this important canonical collection, compiled under the Tibetan kings in the ninth to tenth centuries in order to protect and propagate the Mahayana Dharma in Tibet and Central Asia.

Although the title of the scripture has not yet been fully translated, according to the context of the Tengyur, this is a treatise or instruction from renowned Mahayana teachers, possibly from the Yogacara (唯識) or Madhyamaka (中觀) traditions, the two principal schools of Buddhadharma philosophy that developed strongly in Tibetan Mahayana.

Main Content

The scriptures and treatises in the Tengyur often revolve around three core themes of the Mahayana: (1) the theory that all beings inherently possess buddha-nature; (2) the bodhisattva path of practice aimed at liberating countless beings; (3) the lack of intrinsic nature (sunyata) of all phenomena.

The Tengyur, and especially treatises such as Toh 3069, present the meanings taught by great masters such as Asanga, Vasubandhu, Nagarjuna, or Candrakirti. They teach that reality is not the independent existence of dharmas, but their mutual interaction within the cycle of samsara. However, through provisional designation (prajnapti) and bodhisattva practice, we can recognize buddha-nature and proceed toward buddhahood.

These treatises also emphasize the role of immeasurable compassion (mahakaruna) and the resolve for awakening (bodhicitta) in Mahayana practice. The aim is not merely to liberate oneself, but to liberate all beings from suffering.