Does contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the meanings of the Dharma within the state of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) meditative concentration (samādhi) cause the meditative concentration to disappear?

Ven. Shi Ruyuan said: When one has genuinely cultivated profound meditative concentration (samādhi), contemplating any Buddhadharma will not cause it to disappear; the contemplation of dharma meanings is all accomplished within samādhi. In cultivating the samādhi of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), when encountering the various matters of daily life, big or small, one keeps the Buddha in mind at all times, with every thought and every moment mindful of the Buddha. In this way, the thought of recollecting the Buddha will not fade away. If one's meditative power is insufficient or absent, and the thought of reciting the Buddha's name becomes scattered, the state of samādhi will certainly disappear, and one will no longer be able to continue the recollection of the Buddha.

Assessment: Because Ven. Shi Ruyuan's meditative concentration is relatively deep, she contemplates dharma meanings within the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha, and her state of samādhi does not disappear. Others may not necessarily be able to maintain their state of samādhi. If the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha is relatively shallow, then after contemplating dharma meanings for a long time, the meditative power will also weaken and may even disappear. After cultivating the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha, one must also carefully and prudently maintain it. Do not contemplate the Buddhadharma for too long at a stretch; both samādhi and wisdom should be attended to. Especially after worldly affairs occupy the mind more and more, the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha will fade or disappear.

The Buddha required his disciples to cultivate with the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā. When wisdom is used more, one should strengthen the cultivation of samādhi; when deep concentration causes the mind to sink into dullness, one should quickly cultivate wisdom. Leaning toward either side is not good. If one leans toward samādhi, the mind becomes dull and foolish; if one leans toward wisdom, it becomes wild wisdom, which accomplishes nothing. Only cultivating both together is correct practice, and cultivation proceeds fastest. The contemplative experiences written by some people in the past were all contemplations performed in a state of shallow concentration or no concentration at all; in essence they were merely understanding and analysis of dharma meanings, with little inner impact, so their mental conduct did not change much either. After several years, they remained the same as before.

This issue is something that those who are about to attain the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha, or who have already attained it, should pay attention to. As for those whose recollection of the Buddha has not yet shown any effect, or who have not even found a point of entry, they should first focus on how to recollect the Buddha effectively—why their own recollection of the Buddha has no effect—and find the cause and resolve the problems with their practice. They should not spend their energy on issues that can only arise after the samādhi has been accomplished. Not knowing how to resolve the difficulties currently facing them, yet being interested in matters that come only after accomplishment—being oblivious even when the fire is burning their eyebrows—this is a sign of not knowing the suffering of the world. Many people are in the midst of suffering yet unaware of the suffering, lacking cognitive wisdom.