Treatise on the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment
Treatise on the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment, The
[菩提心論] (Chin P’u-t’i-hsin-lun; Jpn Bodai-shin-ron )
A work attributed to Nagarjuna (c. 150-250) and translated into Chinese in the eighth century by Pu-k'ung (Skt Amoghavajra). Another account attributes the work itself to Pu-k'ung. No Sanskrit version is extant. The Treatise on the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment teaches the important Buddhist concept of aspiration for enlightenment and encourages the development of a mind that seeks Buddhahood. It defines three aspects of a mind that aspires for enlightenment, from the standpoint of Esoteric Buddhism:
(1) great compassion to save all living beings,
(2) great wisdom to know what sutra is supreme, and
(3) meditation.
The work also explains various kinds of contemplation put forth in Esoteric Buddhism. Kobo, the founder of the Japanese True Word (Shingon) school, valued this work, and it was widely studied in his school.
