Chapter One  Specific Methods for Cultivating Concentration

Section One  The Method of Entering Samadhi Through Buddha Recitation

1. I will teach you a method for seated Buddha recitation, regulating breath to expel illness, clearing discursive thoughts, and swiftly attaining concentration.

Step One: First, exhale through the mouth to expel the turbid air from the chest cavity and lungs, striving to exhale completely without retaining any breath, continuing until no more air can be expelled. At this point, the abdomen is sunken because the air has been emptied.

Step Two: After all the air is completely exhaled, pause briefly. Then inhale through the nose—do not inhale through the mouth, as doing so may draw in cold air, causing abdominal and stomach distension. While inhaling, guide the breath all the way down to the lower dantian in the abdomen, then pause momentarily. While exhaling, recite the two syllables "A Mi" orally, using a nasal tone—the heavier the nasal resonance, the better—prolonging the sound in coordination with the exhalation. This sound vibration resonates throughout the chest cavity, clearing its passages, allowing the qi channels to flow, thereby expelling pathogenic qi and reducing wandering thoughts. When the breath is fully exhaled, the sound should cease simultaneously. The vibration of the sound current can remove blockages within the body, expel pathogenic qi, ensure smooth qi channel circulation, enabling internal bodily adjustments and promoting health.

Step Three: After the breath is completely exhaled, pause briefly, then inhale through the nose again. The inhaled breath should enter slowly and steadily through the nasal passages into the lungs, then continue downward, ideally reaching the dantian in the abdomen. The deeper this breath descends, the better—down to the dantian or even further, exiting from any point below the dantian. Practitioners who are proficient may visualize the qi exiting through the soles of the feet. This lengthens the pathway of the qi, enabling it to clear the Ren meridian and the qi channels in the legs along its course. This also relies on one's mental focus, as the qi may not physically reach such distant areas.

Step Four: After inhaling fully through the nose, pause briefly, then switch to exhaling through the mouth. While exhaling, recite the two syllables "Tuo Fo," exhaling completely until the abdomen is sunken, as there is no air left inside. After this exhalation, those in poor health may take one or two normal breaths in between to regulate the body's respiration and prevent fatigue.

Step Five: After the previous exhalation, hold the breath slightly and pause. Then inhale through the nose again. After inhaling fully, recite "A Mi," then slowly exhale this breath. During recitation, the longer and slower the duration, the better, allowing the nasal sound current to vibrate the internal organs, expelling pathogenic qi and clearing the qi channels. When exhaling and reciting "Tuo Fo," the breath passes through or rushes into the chest cavity, creating a feeling of expansion and spaciousness throughout the chest—a very comfortable sensation. The heart-mind opens up, and afflictions lessen. The qi then rushes to both shoulders, which also feel very comfortable, causing them to naturally sink, extend, and draw closer to the back, eliminating a hunched posture and allowing qi to flow smoothly. Finally, the breath is exhaled through the mouth, ensuring it is expelled completely without residue.

Step Six: Repeat this breathing cycle several times—up to ten repetitions is sufficient—to regulate the body and calm the mind. Simultaneously, a feeling of mental clarity and physical refreshment will arise. When the qi circulates to the dantian, a sensation is felt in the lower abdomen—a sense of contraction followed by comfort. The body also warms up, leading to a natural inclination towards silence, reduced discursive thoughts, and a feeling of weariness when considering matters, thus diminishing the desire for mental wandering. As the breath is exhaled through the chest, the chest cavity feels clear and comfortable, as if opened up, gradually expanding the heart-mind and improving the mental state.

Step Seven: When the qi circulates to the shoulders, both shoulders naturally sink. As the shoulders sink, the whole body relaxes, the mind settles, and concentration is attained. Once concentration is attained, the sound of Buddha recitation can no longer be produced—any attempt feels tiring. At this point, one can switch to mental recitation, or change to other concentration methods, such as Chan contemplation or contemplating a principle of the Dharma. If the concentration deepens further and even mental recitation becomes difficult, switch to recollecting the Buddha, Chan contemplation, or contemplating the Dharma.

Step Eight: After several cycles of breath recitation, one can feel a tight contraction in the abdominal dantian area. When the qi reaches this point, discursive thoughts cease. The shoulders and arms feel extremely comfortable, the shoulders sink, and the head also feels a sensation, as if enveloped and gently pulled by the qi. Body and mind become unwilling to move, settling into stillness, stability, and relaxation—this is the attainment of concentration. Discursive thoughts vanish, and the mind abides in this state of tranquility.

Step Nine: This method of Buddha recitation is for temporary use and is not suitable for prolonged periods. Each session should not be too long—a maximum of half an hour, or even ten minutes or a few minutes is sufficient. Attaining concentration is very swift, as is the expulsion of afflictions and discursive thoughts. If the body constitution is cold, one will feel warmth spreading through the body as the qi reaches the dantian; the body gradually becomes soft and pliant, no longer stiff. With the impact and vibration of the sound current resonating through the internal organs, pathogenic qi is slowly expelled. Once the passages are cleared, the body's cold qi and obstructive pathogenic qi can be discharged.

Step Ten: An important point to note: Do not inhale through the mouth. Otherwise, cold air enters the mouth and stomach, easily causing stomach distension and physical discomfort, disturbing the tranquility of body and mind. Inhale through the nose; exhale waste air through the mouth. When the sound of Buddha recitation can no longer be produced, this is the initial stage of concentration. Building upon this foundation to cultivate deeper concentration allows for rapid progress and longer periods of stability. When the entire body feels warmly enveloped and comfortable, the inclination to speak disappears, and discursive thoughts cease. This method expels afflictions very quickly, leaving the mind exceptionally clear, the mood pleasant, without arising thoughts of anger or resentment towards others; the heart-mind also opens up.

2. Attaining Samadhi Through Buddha Recitation

When we first begin reciting the Buddha's name, because the mind is scattered and concentration is insufficient, it is essential to recite aloud vocally. Vocal recitation does not prevent the mind from engaging in wandering thoughts; even with a very scattered mind, one can habitually recite the Buddha's name. The mental focus does not need to be single-pointed; it does not require concentration or focused attention. This is what is meant by "mouth reciting while the mind is scattered." When reciting orally, the auditory consciousness and mental consciousness listen together, and the manas (mind-root) also engages with the act of recitation. If the mouth recites while the manas still wanders freely and the mental consciousness continues its random thoughts, there is essentially no concentration to speak of.

After reciting for a period and gaining a slight degree of concentration, the manas becomes somewhat restrained, and the wandering thoughts of the mental consciousness decrease somewhat. When concentration improves further, vocal recitation feels tiring and superfluous; one can then switch to silent recitation, which feels more comfortable and effective. When reciting mentally, one must initially "recite with the mind and listen with the mind"—the mental consciousness must attentively listen to the inner sound of recitation. This leaves no extra energy for discursive thoughts, and the manas also lacks the energy and inclination to engage with other matters. The mind stabilizes, no longer restless like a monkey or horse, enabling focused attention. Concentration arises, and deeper levels of samadhi appear.

When the concentration from Buddha recitation improves further, the mind no longer wishes to recite mentally, finding it tiring and desiring to abandon the thought. At this point, one should cease the inner sound of mental recitation and switch to recollecting the Buddha, thinking of the Buddha, or entering concentration. One should constantly think of the Buddha, engaging in recollection during all activities, ensuring the mind does not part from the Buddha and the Buddha does not part from the mind. Such concentration is quite good, enabling the attainment of access concentration (the threshold of dhyāna). With this level of concentration, one can investigate and seek the true suchness of the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna). When the causes and conditions are ripe, one can swiftly realize the eighth consciousness, thereby attaining enlightenment (kenshō).  

3. Focusing on Recitation to Subdue Discursive Thoughts

When we recite "Amitābha Buddha," the four characters represent four discursive thoughts. We can divide them into two parts, making them two discursive thoughts: "A Mi" as one part, and "Tuo Fo" as another part. Recite the two syllables "A Mi" together as one sound unit, and the two syllables "Tuo Fo" together as another sound unit. Between these two sound units, the interval can be prolonged, leaving a long pause until a discursive thought arises before reciting the next unit. This makes it difficult for discursive thoughts to intrude. When reciting the first unit, the entire mind must be intensely focused, waiting to hear the next unit. Because the mind is highly focused, there is no energy for discursive thinking. This subdues wandering thoughts very quickly, making the achievement of single-minded recitation (one-pointedness) not difficult.

In truth, there are many methods to subdue discursive thoughts; practitioners need to experience them according to their own practice methods. As long as we can grasp the key point—focusing the mind single-pointedly on Buddha recitation, mantra recitation, or scripture recitation—then discursive thoughts are not a problem; their presence or absence is irrelevant, as they cannot hinder our practice. As long as we focus single-mindedly on the right mindfulness, ignoring the discursive thoughts, they will lose momentum and vanish on their own.  

4. Attaining Concentration Through Deep Internal Recitation

To attain concentration through Buddha recitation, one must delve deep into the mind. Our mental consciousness sometimes scatters like a monkey, reaching any state; the manas (mind-root) roams even more, unwilling to rest. To restrain these two consciousnesses—manas and mental consciousness—one must learn to recite the Buddha's name slowly. The slower the recitation, the slower the mind moves, eventually stopping. While reciting mentally, simultaneously listen attentively to the inner sound of recitation with the mind; this restrains the mental consciousness, preventing the manas from engaging with other sense objects (dharmas). Thus, the mind becomes focused on the single object of Buddha recitation, achieving one-pointedness, and concentration naturally improves.

If one can practice down to the level of the manas, all problems can be resolved. Working directly with the manas is the fastest and most direct approach. This is also evident from the principles of concentration practice: Concentration is a state of mind, specifically the state of the deluded seventh consciousness, primarily involving the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The various states of mental focus constitute concentration in activity, which also includes concentration in stillness. The objects of mental awareness become fewer, lighter, and even disappear—this is concentration in stillness, enabling entry into deeper states of absorption. Before attaining enlightenment, one should not expend excessive effort cultivating this deep, thoughtless concentration.  

5. Easily Attaining Concentration by Listening Attentively to the Inner Sound of Recitation

When cultivating concentration, listening to external sounds to enter concentration is not as fast or deep as listening to the inner sounds of the mind. External sounds do not easily restrain the manas or focus it solely on the sound; the manas will still tend to grasp at other sense objects (six dusts), causing the mental consciousness to become distracted by them, making it difficult for the consciousness to settle into concentration. If one can mentally recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra or the Buddha's name, while also focusing the mind on listening, tightly restraining the manas so it grasps only the sound of mantra recitation or Buddha recitation, this enables the mind to focus on a single object, gradually leading to concentration.

Throughout the twenty-four hours of the day, if the mind constantly recites mantras without thinking of other things, the mind-consciousness can transform, no longer grasping at worldly affairs, and body and mind attain lightness and ease. Moreover, mantra and Buddha recitation rely not only on self-power but also on the Buddha's power and blessings. One's own power is weak due to the long eons of wandering in saṃsāra; the mind is deeply stained by worldly dharmas, making it difficult to transcend the worldly quickly. Thus, one must rely on the Buddha's power and the power of Dharma protectors for blessings. Reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra has even greater blessing power, enabling one's practice to become vigorous and concentration to improve rapidly.

During the practice process, one must constantly find ways to counteract various unwholesome mental activities, preventing them from arising freely according to the mind's whims. The most crucial point is to restrain the manas, preventing it from grasping at the six sense objects (dusts). This allows the mind-consciousness to concentrate, enabling subtle and penetrating contemplation, from which wisdom arises. Cultivating concentration must start with the manas; this allows for deep concentration and swift entry into absorption. Contemplation is similar: through deep contemplation, one can mobilize the mental power of the manas. Not only does this lead to clear understanding of principles, but it also transforms mental and physical actions. Once the manas accepts a certain principle, changes occur in bodily, verbal, and mental conduct. Therefore, practice must not remain superficial, focused only on the surface consciousness; it must reach the manas. As long as the manas is influenced, the results will be twice as effective for half the effort.