The Buddhānusmṛti Samādhi Is the Attainment of Manas-Indriya

Reciting Buddha's name has three levels. The most superficial level is when the conscious mind (vijnana) alone recites, while the mental faculty (manas) does not engage in recitation. This is reciting Buddha's name with a scattered mind, merely going through the motions—a superficial recitation, not genuine. It lacks resonance with the Buddhas, and the merit generated is minimal. The next level is when both the mental faculty and the conscious mind recite together, achieving a shallow state of concentration. This is a semi-focused manner of recitation, which can generate slight resonance with the Buddhas. The deepest level is when the mental faculty alone recites Buddha's name. This recitation is relatively sincere, resonates with the Buddhas, can induce the Buddha-recitation samadhi, and generates great merit.

When the conscious mind recites Buddha's name while the mental faculty dislikes reciting, the mind is relatively scattered. One can recite Buddha's name while watching television, talking, indulging in idle thoughts, and juggling many things simultaneously. When the mental faculty recites Buddha's name, one can recite while sleeping, dreaming, working, contemplating problems—truly reciting during any activity. This can lead to the emergence of Buddha-recitation samadhi. Therefore, Buddha-recitation samadhi must be initiated by the mental faculty. The mental faculty can continuously recite Buddha's name at all times, without interruption, possessing meditative concentration (dhyana), experiencing physical and mental lightness and ease, and a sense of joy.

There was a person who participated in a period of reciting one million Buddha's names in a group, aiming to recite one million times within a week. They held a mala (rosary) with 1080 beads, and after completing one full recitation cycle (around the mala), they would move one bead of the 108-bead counting strand. Thus, they continuously twirled beads with both hands while chanting the Buddha's name without cease. Simultaneously, they could watch television, voice opinions, observe others' activities, and sometimes even get angry—truly busy. But what is the use of reciting Buddha's name like this? The mental faculty is constantly grasping at objects everywhere, forcing the conscious mind to recite Buddha's name hypocritically, without a trace of focus. It is evident that only by subduing the mental faculty can one attain the concentration of Buddha-recitation and achieve Buddha-recitation samadhi. Concentration means stabilizing the mental faculty; stabilizing the conscious mind alone does not solve the problem.