Toh 3389Untitled

Exposition of the Tengyur Treatise Canon (Toh 3389)

Context

This scripture is contained in the Tengyur, the Northern Tibetan Canon, an essential part of the Buddhist Treatise Canon. The Tengyur contains commentaries and explanations of the Buddha's teachings, compiled by Buddhist sages over many centuries. These works were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan during the golden age of the Dharma in the Himalayan region, especially from the eighth to the twelfth centuries.

In the Mahayana-Vajrayana tradition of the Northern Tibetan Canon, the Tengyur is regarded as the completion of Buddhist theory through the profound explanations of bodhisattvas and great masters. The Treatise Canon is not only a body of doctrinal commentaries, but also a set of practical instructions for cultivation in the context of the supreme bodhisattva path.

Toh 3389, although not given a separate name in the classification system, is nevertheless part of a very important lineage of commentarial tradition. It reflects the inheritance of wisdom from noble masters in the periods when the Dharma flourished strongly in Tibet and the surrounding regions.

Main Content

Although the specific content of this scripture has not been fully translated in the present materials, based on the context of the Treatise Canon and the Mahayana tradition, Toh 3389 belongs to the class of commentaries connected with one or more aspects of the profound Dharma.

This may include: (1) explanations of concepts concerning Sunyata, the emptiness of all phenomena and the foundation of Buddhist wisdom; (2) instructions on the Bodhisattva-yana, the bodhisattva path committed to liberating all sentient beings; (3) methods of meditation (Dhyana) and Tantric practice for developing compassion and wisdom; and (4) analysis of the nature of consciousness (Vijnapti-matrata) from the Yogacara perspective.