The Palace of the Mind: A Translation of Kukai's Works on the Ten Stages of Mind

The first complete English translation of one of the foundational texts of Japanese esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism, written in 830 CE by their founder, Kūkai (774–835), one of the most important thinkers in Japanese history, together with its companion summary.

This volume contains both works in full:

Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Mind of the Secret Maṇḍala ( Jūjūshinron ), Kūkai's longest and most important doctrinal work, in all ten fascicles The Jewel Key to the Esoteric Treasury ( Hizō hōyaku ), his own shorter companion piece, in all three fascicles Both works rank every philosophy and religion Kūkai knew (Confucianism, the non-Buddhist paths, and the major schools of Buddhism) into ten stages of spiritual development, moving from unreflective appetite up through ethics, world religions, and Buddhist philosophy, to esoteric Buddhism at the summit. It is one of the earliest and most ambitious works of comparative religious philosophy ever written.

What's included:

Full translation of both texts, ten fascicles plus three. A detailed introduction explaining who Kūkai was, what the ten stages mean, and how this translation relates to prior scholarship. Reference material: a list of every mantra quoted, and full source citations (Chinese titles and Taishō canon numbers) for every text Kūkai cites.