Repetition May Not Necessarily Enable the Manas to Understand the Principle

Question: One must repeatedly practice 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 (manasikāra/manana) upon the content of the repetition, you still will not understand why it is so, cannot realize it, and cannot truly know it. When there is concentration, there is no need for repetition; the Dharma meaning reaches the manas directly, letting the manas deliberate (manasikāra/manana) on it by itself. One day, it will deliberate through it clearly—and that is realization.