Disheng's Experience of Recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) (2026-02-03)

Disheng: To be precise, I have not yet realized the samādhi of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi). However, during this period, when I sit in meditation at night, the Buddha's name keeps echoing in my mind, and it continues even after I get up from sitting; when reading Master's books, I also find it hard to stop. It is like this even now. Last night I was "disturbed" until three o'clock before falling asleep, and when I got up in the morning, without thinking twice, I went to recite the Buddha's name. I am thick-skinned: before Ven. Shi Ruyuan established the group for the samādhi of recollection of the Buddha, I often bothered Ven. Shi Ruyuan, asking about the practice of reciting in the mind and listening with the mind. At that time I was restless and impatient; after reciting the Buddha's name for only a dozen or so minutes, the manas could hardly bear it, and I thought that this state of samādhi was truly beyond reach.

The turning point came on a certain day. I was troubled by desires for men and women, and felt that this kind of feeling was suffering; even sitting in meditation could not calm my mind. Having no other choice, I shamelessly went to ask Master Shengru how to counteract it. Master told me to read the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. After reading it, at first I was somewhat afraid, but after a few days, I resolved to recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra, and as I recited it, I began to frequently repent before the statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. I don't know which day it was, but I found I could recite the Buddha's name for a whole afternoon. Then, following Ven. Shi Ruyuan's guidance, I recited in the mind and listened with the mind. As I listened, the sound of the Buddha's name began to "play automatically" in my mind. My faith increased accordingly. Recently, especially at night, the sound of the Buddha's name in my mind would not stop; even without listening to it, it lingered in my mind, and my grasping mind also decreased. In the last few days, the sound of the Buddha's name no longer ceases. When I am not working, I just foolishly listen to the Buddha's name, and my mind has fewer of those scattered thoughts.

My repentance was done with a sincere heart. I acknowledged that since beginningless kalpas I have committed many heinous karmic offenses, as well as the various misdeeds created in this life, and with a heart of deep guilt and remorse, I sincerely repented before the solemn sacred statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. As time went on, I found the sacred statue becoming more and more vivid; the Bodhisattva's compassionate gaze seemed to see through everything about me. At times I even knelt with a fearful heart, reciting the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra to repent of my karmic offenses.

I followed Master's teachings, and then saw written in Master's book: beginners in Buddhism must recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra, for doing so will receive the blessing of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities, and eliminate karmic obstructions. I will also forward today's content to those elders who pressure me to marry and have children, who hope I will have many relatives and dependents. The "worldly task" of this life of mine is to be turned over to a new page; I have no interest in it whatsoever. The world is full of suffering, but I prefer to replace the suffering of worldly greed, hatred, and delusion with the "suffering" of cultivation.

I wanted to watch a sports game via live video streaming, but I was afraid it would delay my recitation of the Buddha's name. So I decided to test whether my manas would continue reciting the Buddha's name while I watched the video. The whole game was very exciting; no matter how thrilling the process or how full of suspense, the Buddha's name hung in my mind like a strand of hair, without interruption. Until now, the sound of the Buddha's name continues to be recited without my deliberately listening to it, and it simply cannot be stopped.

Assessment: It is no exaggeration to say that Disheng's progress is astonishingly rapid—it is simply breathtakingly fast. The reason is that his resolve for the Path is too intense, his repentance too sincere, and its effect too good, so much so that his karmic obstructions were eliminated, and afterward the skill of reciting the Buddha's name arose naturally. Repentance that is merely a superficial form, without a sincere heart, has no blessing power and no effect. Sincere repentance eliminated his karmic obstructions, and his mind became pure; thus he perceived the statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva as vivid and lifelike, with a compassionate gaze. This is a phenomenon seen through the transformation of the mind; it is what his own mind evoked and manifested. It demonstrates that all dharmas are created by the mind alone, that states arise from the mind, and when the mind transforms, everything transforms.