Toh 2338Untitled

Explanation of the Esoteric Scripture: Vajrayana (Toh 2338)

Context

This scripture belongs to the Kangyur in the tantric Vajrayana tradition, representing one of the most profound stages in the development of the Buddhist Dharma in India. Tantra, also called the Vajra Method, appeared in the seventh to tenth centuries CE. It deeply absorbed the principles of prajnaparamita and the wisdom of emptiness from the Mahayana, while combining them with secret, direct, and powerful methods of practice.

The scriptures in the Tantras section of the Kangyur are not ordinary sutras, but refined instructions concerning spirit and body, and the transformation of consciousness. They are regarded as the highest teachings of Buddha Vairocana or of buddhas and bodhisattvas within the mandala. The content of these scriptures is often concealed in symbolic language and requires an accomplished guru to explain it correctly.

Main Content

Although the specific title of Toh 2338 has not yet been fully published, this scripture is part of the treasury of higher Tantra and is often related to one of the core subjects: mandala practice, mudra, or mantra verses possessing profound transformative power.

In the Vajrayana tradition, practices focus on three main principles: the generation stage, visualizing oneself as the deity (iṣṭadevatā) within the pure mandala; and then developing the completion stage, working with subtle energies in the body in order to open ultimate wisdom. The scriptures in the Tantras often provide the philosophical premise: all phenomena have buddha-nature, and through the transformation of perception one can realize this nature in the present life itself.

Tantric scriptures emphasize the importance of bliss (sukha), not a crude pleasure, but the profound fulfillment of the mind when it is no longer separate from wisdom. They also acknowledge the essential role of the Guru, the supreme teacher who directly transmits from the primordial tradition.