Chapter 15: Analysis of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva's Perfect Penetration Through Buddha-Recitation from the Fifth Volume of the Shurangama Sutra

Original Text: If the minds of sentient beings recall the Buddha and recite the Buddha, they will assuredly see the Buddha, either presently or in the future.

The mind that decisively causes one to see the Buddha either presently or in the future is certainly the seventh consciousness, the manas (intellectual mind). If the manas does not wish to see the Buddha, one absolutely cannot see the Buddha. No matter how much the sixth consciousness (mental consciousness) desires to see the Buddha, it is useless and fundamentally incapable of resonating with the Buddha. This is because seeing the Buddha is arranged and realized by the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature storehouse). The tathāgatagarbha can only perceive and cooperate with the mental activities of the manas, thereby fulfilling the manas’s will. If the manas has not yet developed the mind to recite the Buddha, does not recite the Buddha, does not think of the Buddha, and lacks the aspiration to see the Buddha, the tathāgatagarbha cannot cooperate with the manas to see the Buddha. Even if the mental consciousness intensely desires to see the Buddha, it must still influence the manas until the manas decides to recite and think of the Buddha. The manas then directs the act of seeing the Buddha, and the tathāgatagarbha assists by manifesting the illusionary image of the Buddha for the manas to perceive. Subsequently, the mental consciousness is born to perceive the Buddha’s image, and thus one sees the illusory Buddha.

If it is seeing the Dharmakāya Buddha (Truth Body of the Buddha), it must also involve both the mental consciousness and the manas jointly engaging in meditation. The mental consciousness seeks to realize the Dharmakāya, and the manas must also constantly aspire to see the Dharmakāya, investigating ceaselessly while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Only when conditions ripen can one see the Dharmakāya. At the moment of breakthrough in meditation (破参), the manas confirms this matter, the tathāgatagarbha records it, and this person becomes one who has realized enlightenment. The karmic seed of this realization remains stored in the tathāgatagarbha to be utilized in future lives. When conditions ripen in a future life, the karmic seed manifests, enabling swift re-attainment of enlightenment. If it is merely an intellectual understanding (解悟) without the manas’s confirmation, without truly realizing the location of the Dharmakāya and its actual functions, it becomes very difficult to generate the merit of realization in future lives. This is because the manas is not aligned with it, and the mental consciousness, being discontinuous, is newly born and retains no memory of past lives.

From this, it is understood that superficial Buddha-recitation is done by the mental consciousness, while profound Buddha-recitation involves the participation of the manas, initiated by the manas with the mental consciousness cooperating, and the tathāgatagarbha cooperating accordingly. When Buddha-recitation arises spontaneously without conscious effort, this is initiated and decided by the manas, known as "unrecited recitation" (不念而念). Superficial thinking of the Buddha is done by the mental consciousness, while profound thinking of the Buddha is done by the manas. Only the manas’s thinking can satisfy the tathāgatagarbha’s vow, ensuring that the manas sees the Buddha, and subsequently, the mental consciousness also sees the Buddha.

Original Text: In this world, I gather those who recite the Buddha and lead them back to the Pure Land.

Superficially, it appears that Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva gathers and leads those who recite the Buddha back to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In reality, it is the tathāgatagarbha that brings the manas to the Pure Land. It is also the manas leading the tathāgatagarbha to the Pure Land. It is the manas that vows and aspires to reach the Pure Land, and the tathāgatagarbha cooperates, thereby giving birth to the five-aggregate body (五阴身) of this Buddha-reciter within the Pure Land. At the time of death, the mental consciousness ceases. After arriving in the Pure Land, the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the mental consciousness and a five-aggregate body corresponding to the Pure Land, meaning a body aligned with the karmic seeds. The five aggregates recite the Buddha, and through the manas, the karmic seeds of Buddha-recitation are stored in the tathāgatagarbha. The manas becomes successfully influenced by the mental consciousness’s Buddha-recitation, developing deep faith, earnest vows, and sincere recitation. Thus, the karmic seeds within the tathāgatagarbha are established. When conditions ripen, the tathāgatagarbha manifests the karmic seeds. The manas, resonating with the vow-power of the karmic seeds, together with the tathāgatagarbha, arrives in the Pure Land. Simultaneously, the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the five-aggregate body within the Pure Land, and this person becomes an inhabitant of the Pure Land.

Original Text: The Buddha inquired about perfect penetration. I made no selection, but gathered in the six sense-organs, causing the pure recitation to be successive, thereby attaining samadhi. This is foremost.

Which mind can gather in the six sense-organs? Only the manas can gather in the six sense-organs. First, the manas must be subdued, restraining itself from randomly grasping at objects. Then, it can govern the five sense-organs, preventing them from grasping randomly. How does the manas restrain the five sense-organs? When a form appears, if the manas neither attends to it, nor contacts it, nor receives it, nor thinks of it, nor reflects on it, nor decides to perceive it, then the tathāgatagarbha will not give birth to the eye-consciousness at the location of that form. The sense-organ and object do not contact, and the tathāgatagarbha does not give birth to the mental consciousness at the location of the form. Thus, although the form exists, there is no perception; the eye-consciousness and mental consciousness are pure. Similarly, when a sound appears, if the manas neither attends to it, nor contacts it, nor receives it, nor thinks of it, nor reflects on it, nor decides to perceive it, the tathāgatagarbha will not give birth to the ear-consciousness and mental consciousness. Thus, the ear-organ is restrained, and the ear-consciousness and mental consciousness become pure. By the same principle, whenever any of the five sense-objects appears, if the manas does not grasp at it, attend to it, or decide to perceive it, the six consciousnesses do not perceive. Then the mind becomes utterly pure, with only a single thought—Buddha. This is pure recitation (净念).

How then can this pure recitation be made continuous and unbroken? The mental consciousness inevitably becomes fatigued and weary; it must rest, sleep, eat, and attend to the miscellaneous affairs of the five aggregates. Therefore, it is bound to cease intermittently. To achieve uninterrupted continuity, only the manas, which never rests and never ceases, reciting and thinking of the Buddha, can make it continuous. Whether asleep, eating, drinking, excreting, or in a state of dullness, the manas can maintain the state of Buddha-recitation. Even after falling asleep, when dreams appear, one recites the Buddha in the dream. Such recitation is like reciting into the marrow of the bones, continuous and unbroken.

How then can one enter samadhi? Samadhi is the state of equal holding of concentration and wisdom. The six consciousnesses are unmoving; the mental consciousness is undistracted, focused on a single thought—Buddha. To achieve this, the manas must certainly be tamed. It must also be undistracted and non-grasping, neither attending to, contacting, receiving, thinking of, reflecting on, nor fabricating anything regarding the objects of the six senses. It can only focus on a single object—Buddha. Only then can the six consciousnesses be guaranteed to be undistracted and non-grasping. The mental consciousness can only recite the Buddha, with no other thoughts, thereby entering the Buddha-recitation samadhi.

Regarding wisdom: Through this Buddha-recitation, one deeply investigates: "Who is reciting the Buddha?" One harbors deep doubt, carrying this doubt while walking, standing, sitting, lying down, eating, and sleeping—doubt penetrating to the marrow. When conditions are sufficient, one can realize who ultimately is the reciter of the Buddha. The great matter is then resolved, and one enters samadhi, where every thought is Buddha. In this process, the merit of the manas is immense, immense indeed. Without it, one could never hope to reach even the periphery of samadhi, let alone enter its domain.

Buddha-recitation done with the mouth but not the mind is false recitation, not true recitation. True Buddha-recitation arises from the heart outward, is recitation from the innermost being, is "unrecited recitation," is uninterrupted recitation thought after thought, even continuing while asleep. The mental consciousness absolutely cannot recite the Buddha while asleep; it absolutely cannot achieve uninterrupted recitation thought after thought. Recitation done only by the mental consciousness is false recitation, a perfunctory recitation, recited for others to hear, to let others know one is diligently reciting the Buddha. In reality, the mind may not necessarily be on Buddha-recitation; distracting thoughts proliferate, and the manas drags the mental consciousness wandering everywhere, without settled abode. True Buddha-recitation means that no matter what the five aggregates are doing, the mind’s thoughts are always on Buddha-recitation. The manas focuses solely on reciting the Buddha and has no liking for other matters.

The practice of giving (dāna) also has true and false cultivation. False giving, done with the mouth but not the heart, using words to deceive others and oneself, is the false giving of the mental consciousness. The manas does not truly wish to give. True giving manifests in actual actions; there is no need for sweet words to deceive others. It is solid, genuine action, and even after doing it, there may be no need to speak of it.

Since there is true and false, when seeking the true, the mental consciousness must persuade the manas, influence the manas, making the manas recite the Buddha, making the manas give, making the manas cultivate. When the manas is influenced and agrees to take actual action, this is called "acting for real" (动真格的). It is true recitation, true giving, true cultivation—not deceiving others by saying one thing and doing another. The mental consciousness persuading the manas is like discussing, negotiating, or bargaining with the manas, or using both soft and hard tactics. As long as the manas can be made to agree, the mental consciousness achieves its aim, and the matter succeeds. When the master (manas) moves, things get done. After all, the leader is the leader; the advisor is merely the advisor. The one with decision-making power is the true authority.

Buddha-recitation by the mental consciousness alone is false cultivation. It cannot resonate with the Buddha, cannot cause the lotus flower to bloom and reveal the Buddha, and cannot realize the unborn (anutpattika-dharma-ksanti). Only Buddha-recitation by the manas is true recitation. Sooner or later, one will assuredly see Amitabha Buddha and merge into Amitabha’s ocean of nature. Only then is there power in action, power of resonance, enabling one to resonate with all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Thereby, one can personally meet that Buddha and the great Bodhisattvas, be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, witness the lotus flower bloom and reveal the Buddha, realize the unborn, and abide in the Mind-Only Pure Land.