Toh 4070Untitled

Exposition of Toh 4070—The Northern Mahayana Tradition

Background

Toh 4070 is contained in the Tengyur—the Tibetan collection of treatises—a compilation of commentaries, early treatises, and written instructional works belonging to the oldest surviving tradition of the Mahayana Buddha Dharma. The Northern tradition, known as Tibetan Buddhism, preserved the teachings of the great Indian masters from the seventh through the twelfth centuries after the Buddha Dharma disappeared from India. The collection of treatises contains profound layers of explanation concerning the foundational scriptures, intended to guide monastic scholars in understanding and practicing the Buddha’s teachings.

This work was copied, translated, and preserved by eminent translators and Tibetan masters over many centuries. This organization and preservation reflect the Tibetan tradition’s profound commitment to thoroughness and accuracy in transmitting the sound of the Buddha’s Dharma.

Main Content

Although the title is not clearly disclosed in the descriptive information, works in the collection of treatises commonly focus on three essential aspects of the Mahayana teachings: (1) the theory of emptiness (Śūnyatā), (2) the bodhisattva path (Bodhisattva-yāna), and (3) the practice of attaining awakening and perpetuating the benefit of sentient beings.

Within the context of the Northern Canonical tradition, these treatises often deeply investigate scriptures and systems such as the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the Madhyamaka Śāstra, and Yogācāra in order to elucidate the nature of mind, dharmas, and phenomena. We fully maintain that if the specific contents of this scripture have not yet been completely translated, its theory nevertheless revolves around dispelling mistaken understandings of self (ātma) and guiding the mind along the bodhisattva path—that is, making the vow to bring happiness and liberation to immeasurable sentient beings through the practice of the six pāramitās.