Toh 3605Untitled

Exposition of Toh 3605 — Tengyur (Treatise Collection)

Context

The Tengyur of the Northern Tibetan transmission is a collection of profound commentaries on the Sutra Pitaka, compiled during the time of the great Indian and Tibetan masters in the high period of the development of the Mahayana Dharma. Scripture number Toh 3605 is an independent treatise in the Treatise Collection, reflecting the practical and theoretical tradition of the Mahayana schools, especially the Madhyamaka school and teachings related to the bodhisattva path.

Although the title of this scripture has not been fully translated into Vietnamese, it exists in the Tengyur with a clear catalogue number, demonstrating its importance in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Treatise Collection was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan from the eighth to the twelfth centuries, including teachings by outstanding bodhisattvas and ancestral masters, in order to clarify the profound meaning of the Mahayana scriptures.

Main Content

Toh 3605 belongs to the genre of philosophical commentary (Sastratika) within the Tengyur, focused on teaching the basic principles of Mahayana Buddhism. The specific content of this treatise is related to right understanding of Buddha-nature, the bodhisattva path, and especially the relationship between nonconceptual wisdom (Prajnaptivada) and ultimate reality (Paramarthika-satya).

According to the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, this scripture may teach the nature of non-self (Anatman), the concept of Sunyata (emptiness), or the bodhisattva path of practice. This approach emphasizes that all phenomena lack independent essence, and therefore true liberation must be based on wisdom that penetrates this nature. For the bodhisattva practitioner, this means developing immeasurable compassion (Mahakaruna) together with entering into emptiness, in order to help all beings be liberated from the cycle of samsara.