Toh 3123Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 3123 - The Treatise Collection (Tengyur)

Background

This scripture belongs to the Treatise Collection (Shastra) in the Tengyur of the Northern Canon Mahayana tradition, compiled and translated during the golden age of Tibetan Buddhism (seventh to tenth centuries). Although the original title has not been fully identified, Tengyur materials are often profound commentaries on the Dharma sphere, Madhyamaka, or the Mind-Only school, pillars of the Mahayana Buddha Dharma.

In the Tibetan context, these treatises are regarded as “Dharma means” (upaya) for guiding practitioners beyond confusion about the nature of mind, phenomena, and the path of liberation. Through translating and expounding these works, the Inti Foundation continues the tradition of preserving and spreading the Dharma sphere for generations of Western monastics.

Main Content

Tengyur commentaries usually focus on three principal areas. First is the analysis of Emptiness (shunyata), not as absolute nonexistence, but as the absence of fixed, independent qualities in all phenomena. Clearly understanding this point is the basis for overcoming the eternalist view of a truly existent “self.”

Second, these treatises explore the nature of Mind (citta-svabhava), showing that mind is not a solid substance but a stream of consciousness with limitless capacity for development. Through practice, this mind can be purified and transformed into the Wisdom of the Buddha.

Third, the commentaries give guidance on the threefold path of practice (bhumi) of the Bodhisattva, from the introductory stage (sambhara) to the attainment of Buddhahood (buddhatva). Each level has specific trainings, from the six paramitas to the transcendent practices of advanced Bodhisattvas.

Practical Meaning

For modern practitioners, this scripture provides a foundation of reflection for overcoming attachment to the “I” and mistaken conceptions of dharmas. Through contemplation of Emptiness and the nature of Mind, the practitioner may gradually experience liberation from root psychological bonds.