Toh 1921Untitled

Exposition of Toh 1921 — Vajrayana

Context

This scripture is recorded in the Kangyur (བཀའ་འགྱུར་), the collection of the Buddha’s teachings recognized by esoteric Buddhist Dharma, especially the esoteric teachings (Tantra). Located within the Tantra section of the Kangyur, the work Toh 1921 belongs to the Vajrayana tradition, a profound Buddhist Dharma tradition that takes the immediate transformation of Buddha-mind as the foundation of practice.

Vajrayana is not a path separate from the other vehicles, but the completion and optimization of the Four Noble Truths through methods that rely upon the secret command of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. These scriptures are often transmitted only within the context of a sincere teacher-disciple relationship, when the disciple truly wishes to train and has received the necessary preliminary conditions.

Main Content

Although the title of this scripture has not yet been translated or remains recorded anonymously, according to its position in the Kangyur, this is an esoteric method within the group of Tantras, scriptures that present a mode of practice for gathering the world. Esoteric Buddhist methods generally revolve around:

First, the cultivation of the presiding deities (yidam), sacred forms that contain the entirety of Buddha-nature, through stages of visualization combined with mantra. Practitioners do not regard these presiding deities as non-Buddhist gods, but as expressions of formless Buddha-mind, using form to tame the mind beyond space and time.

Second, the application of the power of sacred sound and secret syllables. Mantra is regarded as the sonic embodiment of the Buddha’s adornment, a powerful instrument for directly affecting consciousness and transforming spiritual energy.

Third, the accumulation of merit through the union of thought, speech, and action. The generation stage (bskyed-rim) and completion stage (rdzogs-rim) of esoteric practices are subtle processes that help the practitioner gradually synthesize mind and cosmos into a single reality.