Toh 3245-3Untitled

Exposition of the Treatise Canon Toh 3245-3

Context

The Tengyur (Bkah 'gyur) of the Northern Tibetan tradition is a collection of treatises that comment upon and interpret the Buddha Dharma by ancient masters, including works by great scholars such as Aryadeva, Candrakirti, Vasubandhu, and Dharmakirti. The work Toh 3245-3 in the Treatise Canon reflects the continuation of Mahayana doctrine through the Tibetan tradition, where the Buddha Dharma was preserved and developed profoundly through three hundred years of practice.

The compositional context of this work lies in the period when the Buddha Dharma was transmitted from India to Tibet, around the eighth to ninth centuries. This was a golden age of Tibetan Buddhism, when great translators such as Padmasambhava, Santaraksita, and Jinamitramitragupta brought the entire Buddha Dharma westward, including lofty theories concerning the nature of mind and the supreme path of practice.

Main Content

Although the title of the work has not been specifically identified, the treatises in Toh 3245-3 often focus on the core issues of Mahayana: Buddha-nature in all sentient beings, the theory of two kinds of emptiness (sunyata) at a profound level, and the path of practice leading to awakening.

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, the theory of mind (Sems) is regarded as central. This work may discuss the naturally luminous nature of mind (snang ba), the mind's capacity to realize awakening, or the relationship between the bodhisattva path and the tathagatagarbha. Tibetan commentaries often emphasize that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and that only the removal of obscuring ignorance (avidya) is needed for it to become manifest.

The Treatise Canon may also refer to the stages of practice: from the arising of bodhicitta to the accomplishment of the paramitas, the transcendent virtues, and finally awakening to the fruition of Buddhahood. Especially important is the union of wisdom (prajna) and skillful means (upaya) for liberation.