Toh 3481Untitled

Commentary on Toh 3481 — Northern Transmission Mahayana Tibetan Tradition

Context

Toh 3481 belongs to the Tengyur (Bstan-'gyur), that is, the Treatise Collection of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This is a collection of commentarial works, explanations, and observations devoted to the Buddhist scriptures (Kangyur). In the Northern Transmission Mahayana Tibetan tradition, such works are regarded as “rivers flowing from the ocean of Dharma,” guiding monastics and devotees in learning how to apply the Buddha’s teachings to the practice of cultivation.

This scripture, although it has no clear title in the modern classification system, has been preserved in Tibet’s treasury of wisdom for many centuries. Scriptures without specific titles often contain profound teachings on the nature of mind, Buddha-nature, or the path of practice on the bodhisattva way. The historical context of the Tengyur is connected with the great translation enterprise from the seventh to the twelfth centuries, when learned translators such as Xuân Diệu (Candrakīrti), Thế Thân (Vasubandhu), and native Tibetan Dharma masters preserved the essential interpretive works of Indian Buddhism.

Main Content

Although the specific content of this scripture has not yet been fully translated, we may understand that untitled scriptures in the Treatise Collection often focus on central themes of the Northern Transmission Mahayana Tibetan tradition: universal Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva mind, and methods of tantric practice.

According to the Tibetan tradition, works such as Toh 3481 may explain the relationship between “absolute mind” (dharmadhātu) and all phenomena, or the luminous path (bodhisattva-bhūmi) on which bodhisattvas pass through each stage (bhūmi) toward Buddhahood. It may be an explanation of the “two truths” (satyadvaya), relative truth and absolute truth, as taught by masters such as Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) or the Sakya Dharma masters.