Introductory Scene

A front section or sections of a Tibetan translation of a sūtra or tantra in which the circumstances surrounding the teaching of the text are set forth. There is a standard set of five “excellences” (phun sum tshogs pa lnga) that make up this introductory scene-setting: the excellence of the time, teacher, location, audience, and doctrine/teaching. The ordinary introduction sets forth the first four of these, beginning with “Thus have I heard” and ending with the description of the audience. The extraordinary introduction describes the unique circumstances of the teaching.