Buddhānusmṛti Samādhi as the Practice of Buddha-Recollection through Manas

The involuntary Buddha-recitation arising in the mind—how does it emerge? Who is reciting the Buddha's name? All involuntary Buddha-recitation arises from the manas (the intellectual or thinking mind); it is the manas that recites the Buddha's name. Initially, the conscious mind (vijnana) is unaware of it. Only after becoming aware does it find itself unable to control the recitation and is compelled to follow along with the sound. Voluntary awareness belongs to the conscious mind itself, while involuntary awareness is not that of the conscious mind but rather the awareness and activity of the manas. This Buddha-recitation samadhi is a state of meditative concentration. This concentration is relatively stable. By relying on this samadhi state, one can further contemplate the Four Foundations of Mindfulness; the mind is also purified, making contemplation easier.

When the sound of Buddha-recitation arises involuntarily, continuously lingering within the mind and thoughts, this is Buddha-recitation samadhi. All kinds of samadhi arise from the manas. Why is the manas able to initiate samadhi? Those whose Buddha-recitation practice is not yet mature will not experience Buddha-recitation samadhi. Those whose various contemplation practices are insufficient will also not attain samadhi states. So-called "mature practice" refers to the successful permeation of the manas through long-term, consistent engagement in a specific practice. Once the manas is sufficiently permeated and matured, it automatically and voluntarily recites the Buddha's name and engages in contemplation, giving rise to various samadhi states. The emergence of any samadhi is not determined by the conscious mind nor controlled by it. The conscious mind can only passively accept and merge into the samadhi state, experiencing the samadhi along with the physical and mental sensations.