Repetition Does Not Necessarily Enable the Manas to Understand the Principle

Question: One must repeatedly perform an action until it becomes a habit; only an unconscious habit is the "knowing" of the manas. Is that correct?

Answer: Repeat, and repeat again—but without meditative concentration (samādhi), no matter how many times you repeat, if the manas does not effectively deliberate (manana) upon the content of the repetition, it still will not understand why it is so, and you cannot realize it, cannot truly know it. When there is samādhi, repetition is unnecessary: the meaning of the Dharma reaches the manas directly, letting the manas deliberate on it by itself. One day, it will deliberate through to understanding—and that is realization.