Toh 3557Untitled

Exposition of Scripture Toh 3557 — Tengyur Treatise Collection

Context

The Tengyur (Tenzur), or “Translated Teachings,” is the collection appended to the Kangyur, the complete teachings of the Buddha. Within it, the Treatise Collection (Śāstra) contains commentaries and treatises composed by bodhisattvas and noble ones of the Mahayana in order to develop and clarify aspects of the Dharma.

Scripture Toh 3557 belongs to the system of the Northern Canon tradition (Tibetan Vajrayāna), a profound Mahayana tradition that combines the foundational Mahayana scriptures with advanced Tantric meditation instructions. This is an exceedingly precious body of knowledge translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan from the eighth to the tenth centuries, brought to Tibet by great masters such as Bodhisattva Śāntarakṣita and Padmasambhava.

Although the original Pāli text has not been fully preserved, these scriptures reflect deep layers of teaching on the nature of mind, bodhicitta, and the bodhisattva path to the attainment of Buddhahood.

Main Content

Within the context of the Tengyur, the treatises (Śāstra) often revolve around central issues: the correct understanding of emptiness of intrinsic nature (Śūnyatā), the nature of the six consciousnesses (feeling, perception, formations, consciousness), and the path of practice through the three stages of initial conduct, intermediate conduct, and supreme conduct.

The works in the Treatise Collection of the Tengyur teach that every being possesses innate Buddha-nature. Through bodhicitta, the intentional resolve to liberate countless beings from the cycle of samsara (Samsāra), a bodhisattva practitioner develops the six pāramitās: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.

In particular, the Tantric treatises in the Tengyur emphasize the importance of Guru-yoga, that is, absolute trust in the teacher and the Three Jewels. They also present visualization practices (Sādhana), visualizing yidam deities in order to transform the mind from a state of delusion into bodhisattvahood.