Buddha-Recollection Samādhi Is the Manas’s Buddha-Recollection Practice.

How does the sound of reciting the Buddha's name that arises involuntarily in the mind come about? Who is reciting the Buddha's name? The recitation sound that arises involuntarily is all initiated by the manas; it is the manas that is reciting the Buddha's name. At first, the mind consciousness is unaware of it, and once it becomes aware, it cannot control it and has no choice but to follow along and listen to the sound of the Buddha's name. Being conscious is the mind consciousness's own awareness; being unconscious (involuntary) is not the mind consciousness's own awareness, but the awareness of the manas, the action of the manas. This recollection-of-the-Buddha meditative concentration (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi) is a state of meditative concentration, and this concentration is relatively firm. Relying on this state of meditative concentration, one can then engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the four foundations of mindfulness; the mind is also pure, making contemplative practice easy.

When the sound of reciting the Buddha's name arises involuntarily, continuous and lingering in the mind and brain, this is recollection-of-the-Buddha meditative concentration (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi). All kinds of meditative concentrations (samādhi) are emitted by the manas. Why can the manas give rise to meditative concentration? For those whose recollection-of-the-Buddha practice is not yet proficient, recollection-of-the-Buddha meditative concentration will not appear; for those whose contemplative practice of various kinds is insufficient, states of meditative concentration will not appear either. What is meant by proficient practice is that, through long-term persistence in one kind of cultivation, the manas has been successfully perfumed; once the manas has been perfumed to accomplishment, it will recite the Buddha's name and engage in contemplative practice automatically and spontaneously, and then various kinds of meditative concentration will appear. The arising of various meditative concentrations is not decided by the mind consciousness and is not controlled by the mind consciousness; the mind consciousness can only passively accept and passively merge into the state of meditative concentration, to experience the meditative concentration and the feelings of body and mind.