The Buddha-Recollection Samādhi Is the Buddha-Recollection Practice of the Manas

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 Buddha-name 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 of it, it cannot control it and has no choice but to follow along and listen to the sound of the Buddha's name. Being aware of it consciously is the mind consciousness's own awareness; being unaware of it is not the mind consciousness's own awareness, but the manas's awareness, the manas's activity. This kind of recollection-of-the-Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) meditative absorption (samādhi) is a state of meditative concentration, and this concentration is relatively firm. Relying on this samādhi state, one can then engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the four foundations of mindfulness, and 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 samādhi. All kinds of samādhi are issued forth from the manas. Why can the manas give rise to samādhi? For those whose recollection-of-the-Buddha practice is not yet proficient, recollection-of-the-Buddha samādhi will not appear; for those whose contemplative practice in various respects is insufficient, samādhi states will also not appear. What is meant by proficient practice is that, through long-term persistence in one kind of cultivation, the manas has been successfully permeated; once the manas has been permeated to accomplishment, it will recite the Buddha's name and engage in contemplative practice automatically and spontaneously, and then all kinds of samādhi will appear. The arising of various samādhis 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 samādhi state, experiencing the samādhi and the feelings of body and mind.