Toh 3164Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 3164 (Tengyur - Treatise Collection)

Context

This scripture is recorded in the Tengyur — the Treatise Collection of the Northern Buddhist tradition, the supplementary portion of teachings and commentaries on the Mahayana sutras. Toh 3164 is part of the Treatise Collection, where great masters and bodhisattvas after the time of the Buddha profoundly developed Mahayana doctrines in order to help all sentient beings attain awakening.

In the Mahayana tradition, especially the Northern Buddhist tradition, the Treatise Collection is regarded as the “eye” that illumines the scriptures. These commentaries are not secondary notes, but decisive teachings that help practitioners understand the path of awakening of the bodhisattva. This scripture arises from deep inquiry into Prajñāpāramitā — the transcendent wisdom of Mahayana.

Main Content

Although the title has not yet been fully translated into Vietnamese, based on the position of Toh 3164 in the Treatise Collection, this scripture is related to core issues concerning the nature of Buddha-nature, selflessness or emptiness (śūnyatā), and the path of practice of bodhisattvas who aspire to Buddhahood.

The Northern Buddhist tradition emphasizes that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and that through the practice of the pāramitās — especially Prajñāpāramitā Pāramitā, that is, transcendent wisdom — practitioners can open this limitless potential. Scripture Toh 3164 may address this profound mode of practice, helping students recognize that all phenomena lack independent intrinsic nature, and from this recognition, compassion and wisdom naturally arise.

In the context of the Northern Buddhist tradition, especially schools such as Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug, deep understanding of these commentaries is a foundation for advanced practices such as Tantra and the contemplation of selflessness.