Toh 3551Untitled

Explanation of Toh 3551 — Tengyur (Tibetan Treatise Collection)

Context

Toh 3551 is a treatise belonging to the Tengyur, the collection of commentarial treatises of Northern Tibetan Buddhism, compiled and translated from original Sanskrit works during the period when Buddhism flourished in India from the fifth to the eleventh centuries. The scope of the Tengyur includes more than 3,600 treatises by Buddhist noble sages, painstakingly translated by Tibetan translators in order to preserve the complete Buddha Dharma after Buddhism declined in India.

Treatises in the Tengyur are often divided into five categories: commentaries on scripture, works on the Vinaya, works on Abhidharma, works on logic and epistemology, and works on the Four Noble Truths and practice. The study of these treatises is a foundation for deeply understanding the Dharma treasury, the elements of phenomena according to the Abhidharma tradition, and the path of practice in the Mahayana.

Main Content

Although the specific title of the scripture has not been clearly identified, treatises in this numerical range of the Tengyur often focus on explaining the bodhisattva paths and the fundamental principles of aspiration (pranidhana), the profound vows of bodhisattvas in the journey to liberate all sentient beings.

These treatises also often comment on the concept of Buddha-dhatu, the Buddha-nature inherent in all sentient beings, and the skillful means (upaya) that bodhisattvas use to guide sentient beings along paths suited to their capacities and causes and conditions. They focus on explaining how bodhisattvas practice the six paramitas: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

According to the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, these treatises emphasize that the aim of practice is not merely to escape one's own suffering, but to attain Buddhahood in order to liberate immeasurable sentient beings. This is the heart of the bodhisattva resolve.