The Benefits of Recollection of the Buddha through Contemplating an Image

Ven. Shi Ruyuan: To bring up the matter of reciting the Buddha's name, the method my mother and I used to practice recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) was just as the Master described: the focus was placed on the yidam (the principal deity), not on the Buddha's name or the sound. We did not recite for the sake of reciting the name, nor did we recite to make the sound pleasant. When I first began reciting the Buddha's name, I knew nothing at all about the Buddha's name and merits. I recited while looking at a Buddha image, as if I were beholding Amitābha himself, the principal deity. I taught my mother to practice recollection of the Buddha in this same way, and it was quite beneficial.

How did I accomplish the samādhi of Buddha-recollection through reciting the Buddha's name? At the very beginning, my elder brother obtained for me a dignified paper image of the Buddha, beneath which were written six large characters: Namo Amituofo (Homage to Amitābha Buddha). At that time I did not yet know what "Namo Amituofo" meant; I thought it was just an ordinary name, not knowing it was the Buddha's honored title—the Immeasurable Light (Amitābha), the Immeasurable Life (Amitāyus), the World-Honored One—and even less did I know that Amitābha is the teaching host of the Land of Bliss (Sukhāvatī) in the West.

When I first began reciting the Buddha's name, I would sit before the Buddha image in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, reciting and prostrating to the Buddha while facing the image. At that time I still believed that the more one recited the better, and the more one prostrated the better, so I made a vow to recite one thousand five hundred times a day. After reciting for a week, I felt that the more I recited, the less strength I had, and I no longer wanted to recite. I would just gaze at the Buddha image, thinking and staring blankly, not wanting to move. Later, whenever I entered the Buddha hall to prostrate and recite, I would see the Buddha image radiating a distinct brightness, which made my body and mind comfortable and filled with Dharma joy; I was so moved that I involuntarily recited aloud. When I recited aloud, my child's father would quarrel with me and forbid me to recite, calling it superstition. So I sincerely thought of the Buddha and recited in my mind—not reciting for the sake of reciting the name, for I did not know how to recite. Later, I happened to meet the Master and only then learned the correct method of reciting the Buddha's name. I then felt the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and of the Master, who taught me so many of these supremely wondrous and subtle Dharmas!

Assessment: Contemplating the Buddha's image while reciting has many benefits. First, using the eye faculty to contemplate the Buddha's image while reciting is relatively direct and intuitive; the experience is stronger, the feeling more real, and it is easy to merge into that state. The impression is deep, the image is easy to remember, and reciting can concentrate and gather the mind—it is not scattered, and distracting thoughts do not easily arise. Second, it is easy to give rise to reverence, admiration, affection, and sincerity toward the Buddha, and to give rise to the mind of taking refuge, the mind of reliance, and deep faith, whereby one can receive the Buddha's power of blessing, spontaneously bring forth pure vows, and recite with deep faith and earnest vows. Moreover, one becomes willing to follow in the Buddha's footsteps with actual practice, walking the Bodhisattva path. Third, because the Buddha image is concrete, reciting can be well-directed, continually deepening one's skill in Buddha-recollection, gradually reaching the level of mindful recollection of the Buddha, and the shadow of the samādhi of Buddha-recollection will appear.

Those who have not yet seen obvious results from reciting the Buddha's name may try contemplating the Buddha's image while reciting. Find a very dignified Buddha image that delights your heart when you look at it, and every day contemplate the image while reciting. Once you have become familiar with contemplating the image, train yourself to close your eyes and mentally visualize and recollect it; the Buddha's image will gradually appear in your mind, and even in dreams the Buddha will appear.