The Principle of the Mind Reciting While the Mind Listens

Mental recitation with mental listening is not the same as mental recitation with the ears listening. Although it is said to be "heard by the ears," it is in fact not heard by the ears: the ear consciousness cannot hear the sounds within the mind; it can only hear the external sounds of vocal recitation of the Buddha's name spoken aloud by the mouth. The mind consciousness hears sounds both inner and outer (from the mind and from the mouth), and the manas, depending on the depth of one's meditative concentration (samādhi), participates in the hearing to varying degrees. In mental recitation, no sound is voiced, so there is no body consciousness involved in reciting the Buddha's name—only the mind consciousness, or the manas together with the mind consciousness reciting the Buddha's name; this mind consciousness is then the solitary mental consciousness. It is the solitary mental consciousness that listens to the sound of the mental recitation, and the manas also listens along with it.

There is another kind of mental recitation, in which the manas recites the Buddha's name alone. In this case, what observes is also the solitary mental consciousness, and the manas also engages in introspection alongside it. Generally speaking, when one's meditative concentration is not deep and one lacks the power of introspection, the solitary mental consciousness cannot easily observe the manas reciting the Buddha's name; only when concentration is deep can one observe one's own mind reciting the Buddha's name. When the mind recites the Buddha's name, the deeper the concentration, the deeper the manas's participation in the recitation, and the clearer and more distinct the manas and the solitary mental consciousness observe the mental recitation of the Buddha's name within oneself. This has already reached the state of the Buddha-recollection samādhi (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi).

The manas's mental recitation is also manifest in the recitation of mantras. When reading sūtras and reciting mantras, one can also let the manas follow along in the reading and recitation; this requires meditative concentration (dhyāna), and the deeper the concentration, the deeper the manas's participation. When the mind is still, the solitary mental consciousness can observe the manas's mental recitation, but the manas has no verbal language or sounds—there is only mental recitation, and mental recitation is the mental factor of recollection (smṛti). When reading sūtras and reciting mantras, one should read and recite slowly and silently; this is to enable the manas to follow along attentively in the recitation. When concentration is deep, the manas not only recites deeply and attentively, but its power of introspection is also strong. Here, both the solitary mental consciousness and the manas possess the power of introspection, and the two are difficult to distinguish; it requires very deep meditative concentration and a very still mind to have the power of discernment, so it is easy to develop misunderstandings about the introspective power of the two.

Concentration is none other than the power of focus. To be able to focus without distracting thoughts, there are two methods: one is extremely rapid recitation, which leaves no time for distracting thoughts—distracting thoughts cannot keep up and thus cannot arise; the other is extremely slow recitation, in which the mind has no thoughts of distraction and thus becomes single-pointedly focused. However, the first method of extreme rapidity can only be used temporarily, not for a long time, because it exhausts one's qi and energy, and one's physical stamina cannot keep up. The strength of one's meditative concentration directly affects the degree of the manas's participation in all dharmas. The more the manas participates, the more one can accomplish things—this is wisdom. Therefore, having meditative concentration and the power of concentration is not only useful for studying Buddhism and cultivating practice; it is also of great benefit for surviving in worldly affairs.

In cultivation, as long as one applies one's mind earnestly, once one crosses over a hurdle, one will advance by leaps and bounds. I hope everyone can let go of worldly dharmas and wholeheartedly strive toward the Buddha's Dharma, seeking the fundamental and not grasping at the superficial.