The Practice Approach to Samapatti in the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment

If bodhisattvas solely contemplate illusoriness, by the Buddha's power they manifest transformations throughout the world, performing various functions, perfectly cultivating the pure and wondrous practices of a bodhisattva. Within the dharani, they do not lose the quiescent mindfulness nor the various tranquil wisdoms. This bodhisattva is called one who singly cultivates samapatti.

The second method of practice is samapatti. This is the contemplation of wisdom, the contemplation of illusion. Do not assume that whenever "contemplation" is mentioned, it refers solely to the consciousness of the mental faculty (mano-vijnana). Here, it entirely refers to the contemplation of the mind root (manas). Only when the contemplation of the manas yields results does the state of illusoriness arise. The mental consciousness (mano-vijnana) is utterly incapable of contributing, for it has no real agency; its power is exceedingly small. For instance, manifesting the forms of Buddhas, manifesting the trichiliocosm, manifesting mountains of fish, rice, and meat, manifesting various kinds of sentient beings, manifesting the realms of karmic retribution – these illusory manifestations are certainly the result of the manas' volitional discernment. They are manifested from within the mind by the tathagatagarbha, relying on the conditions of meritorious virtuous karma and seeds, using the seven great elements as seeds. The tathagatagarbha functions like a master illusionist; all dharmas arise dependent upon it, coming into being from nothingness, and even when existing, they are like non-existence.

This requires the volitional power of the manas to be extremely potent, meaning the power of contemplative wisdom must be very strong, and the power of merit (punya), as well as the power of meditative concentration (dhyana), must also be very powerful. The five spiritual faculties – faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom – must be firm. From these arise the five powers – the power of faith, the power of diligence, the power of mindfulness, the power of concentration, and the power of wisdom – which must be vigorous. Only then can the illusory contemplation be accomplished. The accomplishment of all dharmas and great undertakings is the result of the manas' volition. The volition and power of the mental consciousness are weak. The higher one cultivates, the more prominent the power of the manas becomes, and the power of the mental consciousness becomes relatively weaker. Of course, all these accomplishments are the pure and subtle actions of a bodhisattva. Whether it is the mental consciousness or the manas, such achievements are only possible after the mind-ground has become pure; a defiled mind cannot accomplish them, for a defiled mind accomplishes only the karmas of greed, hatred, and delusion.

Bodhisattvas transform the world with a pure mind, contemplating the world as illusory in meditation – neither empty nor existing, yet both empty and existing, emptiness and existence non-dual, emptiness and existence both transcended. Only with this power of wisdom can they transform the world. If they contemplate the world as not empty, it obstructs the power of the Way. If they contemplate the world as empty but not existing, then the world cannot be accomplished. Only by dialectically contemplating the emptiness and existence of the world can its perfect accomplishment be achieved. During the process of wisdom contemplation, the bodhisattva maintains a quiescent mindfulness of the essential principles of the Buddha Dharma within the mind. Through this power of mindfulness, the power of action and the power of discernment arise. With the tathagatagarbha cooperating, all dharmas of the world are accomplished. The tathagatagarbha is the first transforming consciousness, the manas is the second transforming consciousness, and the six consciousnesses are the third transforming consciousness, with their meritorious functions diminishing progressively. The accomplishment of illusory contemplation is achieved by the power of wisdom, and this power of wisdom arises from profound meditative concentration. Without concentration, there is no wisdom; without stillness, there is no wisdom. A quiescent mind is filled with the power of wisdom; only with power can the fruition virtues be accomplished. This is the practice method where a bodhisattva solely cultivates contemplation, named samapatti.

In this contemplative practice, the mental factors (caittas) of mindfulness (smriti) and wisdom (prajna) associated with the manas are emphasized, while the mental factors of concentration (samadhi), decisive understanding (adhimoksha), and aspiration (chanda) are implicitly present. The functioning power of these five object-specific mental factors (viniyata-caitta) is extremely strong. Therefore, do not say that the manas lacks the five object-specific mental factors. If the manas lacked them, no dharmas could be accomplished, not even a single dharma; the tathagatagarbha would then exist but be useless. Also, do not say that the wisdom of the manas is inferior. If the wisdom of the manas were always inferior, the contemplative wisdom of samapatti would have no power whatsoever; it could not accomplish illusory contemplation, manifest the trichiliocosm, or manifest dharmas. If someone says that samapatti is accomplished by the five object-specific mental factors of a bodhisattva's mental consciousness, that person not only slanders the bodhisattva but also slanders the Dharma; the offense is not small. One must proceed from the facts and contemplate the functional role of the manas as it truly is; only then can great wisdom arise. Both sentient beings and Buddhas/bodhisattvas possess the five object-specific mental factors in their manas. The difference is that Buddhas and bodhisattvas skillfully utilize these mental factors of the manas, while sentient beings misuse them.

I have explained before that contemplating the physical body, eliminating illnesses, and transforming the physical body – that is the most preliminary form of samapatti. It also relies on the power of mindfulness and wisdom of the manas, inseparable from the power of meditative concentration. Of course, there is also the contemplative wisdom and mindfulness power of the mental consciousness, but ultimately, accomplishment depends on the manas; the tathagatagarbha merely cooperates. The method of visualizing the Buddha's image and reciting the Buddha's name to attain the samadhi of Buddha-recollection is also a practice of samapatti. It requires good meditative concentration, great power of mindfulness, and profound power of wisdom. Simultaneously, corresponding power of merit is necessary; without the support of merit, the contemplative practice cannot be accomplished.

The Sixteen Contemplations of the Sutra on the Contemplation of Amitayus Buddha and the Contemplation on Impurity (Asubha-bhavana, specifically the skeleton/skeleton visualization mentioned) all belong to the practices of samapatti. They all rely on the functioning power of the manas – the power of mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. The mental consciousness has an auxiliary role but is not primary. No matter how much the mental consciousness imagines skeletons, the skeleton contemplation will not manifest; if skeletons are not seen, one contemplates the sun. No matter how much the mental consciousness imagines the setting sun, the sunset contemplation will not manifest. Therefore, the mental consciousness is powerless to accomplish dharmas; it must assist the manas for dharmas to be accomplished within meditative concentration.