Toh 3240Untitled

Exposition of the Tengyur Scripture Toh 3240

Context

This scripture is preserved in the Tengyur (the Tibetan Translated Treatise Canon), the collection of commentarial treatises and explanations of the teachings of the Buddha Dharma in the Northern Tibetan tradition. Toh 3240 is a work belonging to the Mahayana stream, focused on the development of wisdom and the Dharma body (Dharmakaya) of bodhisattvas.

In the context of the Northern Tibetan tradition, these treatises are regarded as keys that open up the profound meanings of the root scriptures, especially in understanding the nature of Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva path of practice, and the ultimate state of awakening. The movement of the Buddha Dharma in Tibet has greatly valued these works as a bridge between theory and practice.

Main Content

This work discusses the fundamental aspects of the Mahayana path, especially the process of practice that leads to awakening. It emphasizes that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, the innate capacity to become a Buddha. This distinguishes the Mahayana from other traditions, in which awakening is not the exclusive privilege of noble beings.

The scripture discusses the Four Noble Truths, but in a Mahayana context, expanding them to include the suffering of others as well. A bodhisattva does not seek only personal liberation, but also aspires to awakening for the liberation of all sentient beings. This path is called the Bodhisattva Path, and it requires the cultivation of the Six Paramitas: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

The work also refers to the concept of non-self (anatta) from the Mahayana perspective, in which not only material phenomena but also consciousness lack an independent, self-existing essence. From this understanding, the practitioner develops loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity (Maitri-Karuna-Mudita-Upeksa), noble states of mind that advance the bodhisattva path.