This paper discusses the grasses-and-trees-mind 草木心 of the Shōbōgenzō’s 正法眼蔵 “Awakening Supreme Mind” 発無上心 chapter, and its relationship with the chapter on “Religious Awakening” 発菩提心 in the twelve-volume version of the Shōbōgenzō’, which bears the same name in the original title.
The grasses-and-trees-mind assumes religious awakenings 発心 in religious awakenings. This premise indicates that each of the various phenomena of the universe and matter 諸法 becomes a real state 実相 within the Buddha’s body 仏身. The virtue of building temples, which has been discussed previously, is also assumed to be included within that Buddha’s body. In other words, the grasses-and-trees-mind is superimposed on religious awakenings.
Next, a part of the description in the “Religious Awakening” chapter is identical to the description in the “Awakening Supreme Mind” chapter. However, since the description is limited to one spot, it is reasonable to say that the description in “Religious Awakening” forms the basis for the description in “Awakening Supreme Mind.” Hence, on the basis of the description in “Religious Awakening,” considering the hierarchy of religious awakenings, the idea of religious awakening in the “Religious Awakening” chapter is placed lower than it is in “Awakening Supreme Mind.”
