Toh 3497Untitled

Exposition of Toh 3497 — Northern Mahāyāna Transmission

Context

This scripture, Toh 3497, is recorded in the Tengyur (Bka' 'gyur), the treatise collection of Northern Transmission Buddhism, representing the Mahāyāna lineage that developed through Central Asia and Tibet. It is one of the profound exegetical works serving to clarify the principles of the Buddha Dharma within the context of the Tibetan tradition.

The Tengyur is a collection of treatises and commentaries that expand upon the principal scriptures, compiled and transmitted by leading Buddhist scholars from the eighth century onward. Although the scripture’s title has not yet been fully rendered into Vietnamese, its historical context shows that it is a work belonging to the Northern Mahāyāna stream, deeply inheriting the teachings on common Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva path, and the principle of emptiness (śūnyatā).

Main Content

In the Northern Tibetan tradition, treatises such as Toh 3497 often focus on profoundly explaining the central principles of Mahāyāna. They examine the relationship between relative truth (samvṛti-satya) and ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya), the way bodhisattvas practice in order to attain Buddhahood, and the nature of Buddha-mind.

In particular, works in the Tengyur emphasize the bodhisattva’s practice: the union of wisdom (prajñā), which realizes emptiness, and limitless compassion (karuṇā) directed toward all sentient beings. These commentaries also often mention the “three bodies of the Buddha” (trikāya), the dharmakāya, sambhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya, in order to clarify how a Buddha appears in order to teach.

The methodology of the Northern Transmission is very careful, experiential, and logical. These treatises not only present theory but also indicate the concrete path of practice, connecting reasoning with meditative cultivation.