Treatise

Treatise (bstan bcos)

• The authentic transmissions of the Buddha's teachings (Skt. āgama) include the actual teachings of the buddhas (Skt. pravacana) and the authentic commentaries or treatises elucidating their meaning (Skt. śāstra). An authentic treatise is said to refine and purify the obscurations of the reader, and protect the reader from the suffering of rebirth in lower existences. The term therefore implies the bringing about of a transformation in the reader's mind and protection from the potential dangers of cyclic existence. Treatises are traditionally classified in six ways, according to: the standard of their composition, the purpose of their composition, their individual composers, the manner of their composition, the original teachings which they explain, and the meaning which they express. GD (from the Glossary to Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings)