Recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) meditative concentration is accomplished through the manas

True recollection-of-the-Buddha samādhi is a samādhi state in which, moment after moment, everything is the Buddha, achieved by the manas, driven and steeped by the mind consciousness fully immersing it in recollection of the Buddha. It is the state of perfectly fused samādhi and wisdom in which the fundamental mind, the Buddha, has been realized—possessing both samādhi and wisdom. Throughout the entire process of cultivation, the mind consciousness guides the manas, moving from recollecting the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to recollecting the true suchness of the real Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, until finally the manas accomplishes the samādhi of true suchness: the mind consciousness does not recollect, yet the manas recollects. Profound meditative concentration arises, and afterwards wisdom is born, thereby realizing the self-nature of true suchness.

The meditative concentration involved here combines stillness and activity, with neither side neglected. At the beginning, cultivating in seated meditation is relatively easy, because the mind settles quickly. Once one has developed skill in cultivating stillness, the mind also becomes easily settled and focused during activity, for stillness nourishes activity. When one can single-mindedly recollect the Buddha amid the combination of stillness and activity, and meditative power has been cultivated to the point that some prajñā wisdom is also present, one can then investigate: who is it that recollects the Buddha? That requires a turning point—adding wise contemplative observation within meditative concentration, also called contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). The mental focus shifts from the thought of the Buddha to a thought of doubt, doubting deeply, with no other thoughts. One day, the questioning doubt will break open, and one will investigate out who it is that recollects the Buddha.

Many people are unwilling, and also unable, to apply effort so painstakingly. A few individuals want to take shortcuts and play clever tricks, pondering and analyzing in their minds, letting emotional thinking and intellectual interpretation arise, and in the end they may figure out: isn't the one recollecting the Buddha just that thing? No matter how you ponder it, that thing is everywhere, present in all dharmas—the Buddha has already openly declared it. You say the one recollecting the Buddha is it, but in fact the recollection of the Buddha is still the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses, containing both the true and the deluded. How could it just be that? Some people then reason: "In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, it is just that thing—I have investigated it out, I am enlightened."

But in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, which consciousness could you leave out and still walk, stand, sit, and lie down? To take the dharma of the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses and treat it as the dharma of the eighth consciousness functioning alone is an obvious worldly person's view, not the Chan awakening to the true mind. As for so-called enlightenment nowadays, almost everyone's "enlightenment" is of this kind—practically one hundred percent are of this kind. That is the "wu" of misunderstanding (误), not the "wu" of awakening (悟): merely deluding oneself. After deluding oneself, afflictions will blaze ever more fiercely, self-conceit will become ever more prominent, and the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion will manifest without any restraint, because the two "selves" have emerged—the result is inevitably this. But one who has truly awakened has eliminated self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), has lowered the head, is tranquil in body and mind, has lighter afflictions, has grown in samādhi and wisdom, and abides in the emptiness of mind and non-action.

Therefore, if you wish to truly awaken and to be responsible to yourself, you must put in genuine effort and investigate truly and earnestly. Do not scheme for shortcuts or crave the limelight.