Toh 3949Untitled

Exposition of Tengyur Scripture Toh 3949

From the Northern Tibetan Mahayana Tradition

Background

This work belongs to the collection of treatises (Abhidharmakośa Bhāṣya) in the Tengyur—a compilation of commentaries on Buddhist scriptures translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan during the era of relations between the Tang dynasty and Tibet. Toh 3949 forms part of the system of profound instructions on the Dharma (Abhidharma), concerned with developing wisdom and true understanding of the nature of phenomena.

The Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition differs from the Lesser Vehicle in that it does not focus solely on the practice of individual arhats, but also directs itself toward the theory of Buddha-nature and the bodhisattva path. In this context, Abhidharma is not a cold analysis of dharmas, but an instrument of wisdom for liberating all sentient beings.

Main Content

Although the name of the scripture has not been clearly recorded in the descriptive information, the Tengyur treatises generally focus on analyzing the structure of mind (citta), mental factors (caitasika), and material factors (rūpa) from the Mahayana Yogācāra perspective. This scripture may belong to sections commenting upon:

First, the nature of dharmas (dharma-lakṣaṇa): That which truly exists is that which can produce an effect (arthakriya-kāritva). In the Northern Tibetan tradition, this is connected with the concept of “emptiness” (śūnyatā)—all dharmas lack a fixed self.

Second, the classification of mental dharmas: From the fundamental mind (ālaya-vijñāna) to advanced associated mental states (kleśa-anusayin), each kind of mind functions in its own way and possesses a different degree of awareness. This helps practitioners cultivate morality (śīla) and meditative concentration (dhyāna) with greater precision.