The Function of Memory of the Manas

Ru Chun: I feel that when I recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra very quickly, I also enter a state of self-forgetfulness, feeling as if only my two lips are opening and closing. A slight glance with the eyes is enough—without waiting for the mind consciousness to fully see the characters clearly, my mouth has already run through that line. That feeling is also very interesting. 

Master: Reciting very quickly is also a form of meditative concentration (samādhi)—there is no time for scattered thoughts, and one is very single-minded. But it consumes qi and cannot be sustained for long. This situation arises because the mantra has already become very familiar, to the point of being almost memorized, so it does not require much use of the mind consciousness to read. Reading the mantra with the mind consciousness is relatively slow; one needs to look at it word by word and cannot go too fast. But when the manas has memorized the mantra, it can almost play it back automatically, so fast that the mind consciousness has no time to see the characters clearly and may not be able to keep up with the manas's speed. This is the merit of the manas's memory. 

Ru Chun: It is indeed quite draining of qi; after a while I feel lacking in strength and unable to gather the mind, and I start to lose focus. Perhaps because I have become quite familiar with it, I am no longer very willing to recite slowly, word by word. 

Master: When you are able to recite sūtras and mantras from memory, you should learn to recite them mentally—that is, have the manas recite them. The sūtra text and mantra flow through the mind without language, characters, or sound—a silent, soundless recitation—and then entering meditative concentration is quick and deep. Not wanting to recite word by word is the manas's unwillingness; reciting aloud is the mind consciousness reading and reciting at the same time. In terms of speed, the manas is the fastest: without language, characters, or sound, a single flash of mental thought and it is done. That is why the manas is said to be the most nimble of the conscious minds.