Toh 3246Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 3246 — Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Context

Toh 3246 is a treatise contained in the Tengyur, the treasury of commentaries, explanations, and selected Dharma collections of the Tibetan tradition. There are gathered the treatises of noble beings who explain, develop, and defend profound ideas from the Scriptural Canon (Kangyur).

In the context of the Mahayana Northern Tibetan Transmission, this system was formed through the process of translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Tibetan, beginning in the eighth century. The Treatise Canon is not only a body of scholarly commentaries, but also lights that guide practitioners on the path of cultivation according to the Bodhisattva-yana, the path leading to the awakening of a bodhisattva.

The work Toh 3246, as part of this treasury, underwent a process of careful selection, translation, and refinement by the great wise teachers of the Tibetan tradition. It reflects the philosophical and practical foundations of the Mahayana schools: Cittamatra, Madhyamaka, and theories of Buddhology.

Main Content

Although the specific title has not been provided, treatises in the Tengyur often revolve around central Mahayana themes: mind-nature, Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva path, the theory of Buddha-fields, or questions concerning the Six Paramitas, the six perfections, namely generosity (dana), discipline (sila), patience (ksanti), diligence (virya), meditative concentration (dhyana), and wisdom (prajnapti).

In the context of the Northern Tibetan tradition, treatises such as this often use logic and analytical theory (abhidharma) to demonstrate that our mind has the nature of luminosity and cognition, that all sentient beings hold Buddha-nature in potential, and that the path of practice is entirely possible through clearly guided steps of practice.