Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Mind, The ［十住心論］ ( Jūjū-shin-ron): A work written around 830 by Kōbō (also known as Kūkai), founder of the Japanese True Word (Shingon) school, in response to a decree by Emperor Junna that all Buddhist schools must present a written statement of their doctrine. In this work, based on the “Stage of the Mind” chapter of the Mahāvairochana Sutra and The Treatise on the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment, Kōbō formulates ten stages in the development of religious consciousness that correspond respectively to ten different levels of teachings. He places the mind of a believer in the Lotus Sutra and that of a believer in the Flower Garland Sutra in the eighth and the ninth stages, respectively. He places the mind of a follower of the True Word teaching in the tenth or highest stage, because he says that such a person has comprehended Esoteric Buddhism. See also Precious Key to the Secret Treasury, The; ten stages of the mind.