How to Practice Recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) with the Manas?

Reciting the Buddha's name with the manas means reciting with genuine sincerity, not the perfunctory, slogan-style recitation that is mouth-only and heartless. To achieve this, one must have a thorough understanding of what reciting the Buddha's name entails, a complete transformation of one's thinking, deep faith and earnest vows, with all actions directed toward the Buddha, the Buddha present throughout one's body and mind and world, letting go of worldly ties in the Sahā world, with every thought directed toward the Land of Bliss. When the gate of mind and the gate of practice are both complete, one will certainly be reborn in the Land of Bliss at the end of life.

The cultivation of any dharma gate in the Buddha's teachings has two levels: one is the inner gate of mind, and the other is the outer gate of practice. The gate of mind is the gate of cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature, also called the Dao; it is the gate of the manas. The gate of practice is the gate of skill, also called technique; it is the gate of the six consciousnesses. Of course, the mind consciousness is not only the gate of practice but also the gate of mind; it is just that the mind consciousness's wisdom is shallow and easily acquired, so it is not the focus. The Dao is the root, the inner driving force; technique is the branch, constrained by the Dao and assisting the Dao. Only when the two are combined can a dharma gate be accomplished.

The dharma gate of reciting the Buddha's name is the same. Overall, it cultivates the three provisions of faith, vows, and practice; faith and vows belong to the Dao, and practice is the technique. To achieve success in reciting the Buddha's name, first the mind set on the Dao must be accomplished—one's thinking and understanding must transform, the awakened mind must arise, and great vows must be made—then supplemented with diligent skill in the practice gate of reciting the Buddha's name; the hope of rebirth will then be great. The practice gate here includes the cultivation of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, the bodhisattva's six perfections, and the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment. The gate of mind is the gate of reciting the Buddha's name with the manas. To have the manas reciting the Buddha's name, one should let the manas understand the Buddha's immeasurable merits, understand the Buddha's countless and boundless great deeds, understand the Buddha's four immeasurable minds of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, understand the Buddha's vast power of vows, and understand the Buddha's cultivation over three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas. Once all of these are understood, profound reverence and yearning for the Buddha will spontaneously arise, and one will naturally recite the Buddha's name diligently. The practice gate will then be easily accomplished, and finally every thought will be of the Buddha, culminating in the attainment of buddha-recollection samādhi.

After faith and vows are complete, the manas is subdued, no longer reciting worldly dharmas, the mind is gathered in, and meditative concentration gradually appears. At this time, the mind consciousness recites the Buddha's name and permeates the manas, gradually shifting from the mind consciousness's recitation with form—that which has language, words, and sound—to the manas's formless recitation without language, words, or sound, and the skill will gradually be accomplished. If the manas is not gathered in, He will chase after objects everywhere, craving worldly dharmas, the mind scattered and unable to recite the Buddha's name single-mindedly, and buddha-recollection samādhi will not appear.

If one does not cultivate the gate of mind and only takes the path of the practice gate, mechanically reciting the Buddha's name and pursuing quantity, seeking victory through numbers, then when the skill deepens it will permeate the manas; quantitative change reaches qualitative change, transforming the manas's thoughts and views, so that every thought is of the Buddha, and samādhi is attained. Cultivating this way is extremely difficult and rarely succeeds, yet the vast majority of those who recite the Buddha's name practice this way. One only needs to spend more time reciting over the long term; when the recitation becomes extremely fluent, without needing to pass through the brain, upon encountering any state, "Amitābha" comes out as soon as one opens one's mouth, like an automated robot. Yet afflictions remain afflictions as before, and distraction remains distraction as before. What substantial benefit does such recitation have? Many temples and groups hold Buddha-recitation retreats, a million names in a week; the sound of the Buddha's name enters the ears with every utterance, thought after thought without interruption, yet worldly miscellaneous affairs also enter the mind one after another without much delay. The three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion are all present in full, and no noticeable amount of karmic obstructions is seen to be eliminated, while buddha-recollection samādhi does not even appear as a shadow.

All dharma gates are gates of mind, and the dharma gate of reciting the Buddha's name is also a gate of mind. Without cultivating the mind, accomplishment is difficult. Cultivating the mind means cultivating the manas; when practice is centered on the manas and the manas is well cultivated, then all dharma gates can be accomplished. It is just that this mind, heavily defiled since beginningless kalpas, with blazing afflictions, is very hard to grasp and not easy to subdue. Yet in order to escape the sea of suffering, however difficult it may be, one must find a way to turn it around and subdue it; otherwise, one will remain submerged in the bitter sea of birth and death, unable to extricate oneself.