"What Mental Activities Are Involved in Silent Recitation and Mindful Awareness?"

When reciting mantras, whether aloud or silently, it is the isolated consciousness (manovijñāna) that recites. The mental faculty (manas) recites without words or language. The awareness of silent recitation is the reflective power of consciousness; this reflective power is the self-verifying aspect (svasaṃvittibhāga), which is the isolated consciousness discerning and reflecting upon itself. Of course, if the recitation becomes extremely familiar, the mental faculty may also recite and be aware. During silent recitation by consciousness, the mental faculty possesses awareness. When consciousness reflects inwardly, the mental faculty also possesses awareness. This awareness is profound, subtle, difficult to perceive, and difficult to detect. The mental faculty takes the reflective function of the isolated consciousness and the function of silently reciting the mantra as its own functions, believing that it is itself that is reciting and being aware.

If one possesses relatively good meditative concentration (dhyāna), the mental faculty can also participate in reciting the mantra, and consciousness can observe this. However, it becomes difficult to distinguish the functional boundaries between consciousness and the mental faculty, leading to easy confusion. When meditative concentration is present: Firstly, body and mind can separate, becoming distinctly clear, their connection not so intimate. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses can also be separated from each other, distanced from one another, making each distinctly clear and imparting an illusory feeling towards each dharmā (phenomenon). Without meditative concentration, all dharmās become entangled such that they cannot be separated or seen clearly. This causes the blended dharmās to feel very real and substantial, leading to strong grasping/clinging, which results in heavy afflictions (kleśa). The benefits of meditative concentration are countless. Without meditative concentration, one should not claim to have any spiritual practice.