Toh 3183Untitled

Exposition of Toh 3183 — Tengyur, Treatise Collection

Context

The scripture Toh 3183 is found in the Tengyur (Bstan 'gyur), the collection of commentaries of Northern Tibetan Buddhism. The Tengyur includes more than 3,600 works of scripture and treatise, translated from Sanskrit and Tibetan, focusing on the commentaries, requests, and instructions of Mahāyāna masters. This collection was compiled in the eighth and ninth centuries at centers of Buddhist learning such as Nālandi in India and was completed in the Tibetan tradition around the fifteenth century.

Although the original title has not been fully identified, the position of this scripture in the Treatise Collection (Mdo 'grel) shows that it is a commentary on subtle points in Mahayana practice. Works in the Tengyur often guide monastics and students in overcoming philosophical and practical obstacles on the bodhisattva path.

Main Content

Although the detailed content has not yet been fully translated, according to the context of the Treatise Collection, this scripture is related to profound aspects of Buddhist mind studies (Cittamātra) or Madhyamaka, the two principal philosophical schools in the Northern Canon Mahayana.

It may teach on: (1) the nature of mind (ālaya-vijñāna), the subtle layers of consciousness, and how they function in the cycle of samsara; (2) the relationship between dharmata and phenomena, helping practitioners understand clearly that all dharmas are empty yet are not non-existent; (3) the path of practice from mind studies to Madhyamaka, the process of refining wisdom (prajñāpāramitā).

Similar works in the Tengyur often emphasize the importance of the transformation of mind (āśraya-parāvrtti), awakening from illusion (abhrantajñāna), and the process by which the practitioner becomes a Buddha (buddhakāya). This scripture-treatise is very likely to guide the eradication of illusions concerning the independent existence of mind and matter, leading toward direct realization of the Dharmakāya.