Buddhānusmṛti

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Buddhānusmṛti (Sanskrit; Pali: Buddhānussati), meaning "Buddha-mindfulness", is a common Buddhist practice in all Buddhist traditions which involves meditating on a Buddha. The term can be translated as "remembrance, commemoration, recollection or mental contemplation of the Buddha."^[1] It is also one of the various recollections (anusmṛti) taught by the Buddha in the sutras.

Early Buddhist sources mostly focused on Gautama Buddha in their contemplation. Later Mahayana traditions like Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayana also taught meditations focused on other Buddhas like Amitabha, Maitreya or Vairocana.

The term Buddhānusmṛti appears in numerous Buddhist sources.^[1] The Early Buddhist Texts contain various passages that discuss the practice of Buddha mindfulness. The practice is often part of a schema of mindfulness practices called the ten recollections. In the Pali Nikayas, buddhānussaṭi is a practice which is said to lead all the way to nirvana:^[2]

“One thing, mendicants, when developed and cultivated, leads solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. What one thing? Recollection of the Buddha. This one thing, when developed and cultivated, leads solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment [nirvana].” — AN 1.296

A common verse (Sanskrit: gatha) from the early sources which is repeated as a Buddha mindfulness meditation is the 'Buddhānussati Gatha' which mentions nine qualities or epithets of the Buddha (Nava Guna). The Pali version is:

Iti’ pi so bhagavā arahaṃ sammāsambuddho vijjacaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidu anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṃ buddho bhagavā’ti.

This gatha can be translated in English as:^[3]

That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.

This verse is widely chanted in Theravada Buddhism, and the Visuddhimagga also makes use of it. Its Sanskrit counterpart, which occurs in many Mahayana Sutras and in Āryatriratnānusmṛti sūtra, is given as:

ityapi buddho bhagavāṃstathāgato'rhan samyaksaṃbuddho vidyācaraṇasampannaḥ sugato lokavidanuttaraḥ puruṣadamyasārathiḥ śāstā devamanuṣyāṇāṃ buddho bhagavāniti

Various EBT sutras discuss Buddha mindfulness. The Mahanama Sutta (1) of the Anguttara Nikaya begins by citing the Buddha mindfulness gatha as a way of recollecting the Buddha and then states how the practice can lead to meditative absorption (samadhi):^[4]

When a noble disciple recollects the Realized One their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. At that time their mind is unswerving, based on the Realized One. A noble disciple whose mind is unswerving finds inspiration in the meaning and the teaching, and finds joy connected with the teaching. When they’re joyful, rapture springs up. When the mind is full of rapture, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, they feel bliss. And when they’re blissful, the mind becomes immersed in samādhi. This is called a noble disciple who lives in balance among people who are unbalanced, and lives untroubled among people who are troubled. They’ve entered the stream of the teaching and developed the recollection of the Buddha. — AN 11.11

Another Mahanama sutra (AN 11.12) has the Buddha tell Mahanama "You should develop this recollection of the Buddha while walking, standing, sitting, lying down, while working, and while at home with your children."^[5] Another passage which illustrates Buddha mindfulness is found in the very end of the Sutta Nipata of the Pali Canon. In this text, a Brahmin named Pingiya praises the Buddha and when he is asked why he doesn't follow him everywhere, Pingiya says he is too old to be able to do so. Then he states:

there is no moment for me, however small, that is spent away from Gotama, from this universe of wisdom, this world of understanding...with constant and careful vigilance it is possible for me to see him with my mind as clearly with my eyes, in night as well as day. And since I spend my nights revering him, there is not, to my mind, a single moment spent away from him.^[6]

At the end of this sutta, the Buddha himself states that Pingiya will also go to enlightenment. Paul Williams writes that this passages shows that some early Buddhist followers were making use of meditation "to be constantly in the presence of the Buddha and constantly revere him."^[6]

The Ekottarika-āgama (EA) contains various unique passages on buddhānusmṛti not found in the Pali Nikayas. The phrase namo buddhāya (nan wu fo 南無佛) is also found in this text as a common way to praise and commemorate the Buddha.^[1] Another sutra has Maitreya state that "Those who offer coloured silk and all kinds of things to Buddhist temples, and who chant ‘namo buddhāya’, will all come to where I am." It also states that those who worship the Buddhas will eventually reach nirvana.^[1] Another Ekottarika-āgama sutra mentions a different phrase: namas tathāgatāya.^[1]

EA III, 1 (Taishô Vol. II, p. 554a7-b9) states that buddhānusmṛti on the image and qualities of the Buddha can lead to the unconditioned, to amrta (the deathless), to nirvana, as well as magic power.^[7] This sutra states:

How does one practise buddhanusmrti, so that one then has renown, achieves the great fruit...and arrives at Nirvana? The Lord said: A bhiksu correct in body and correct in mind sits crosslegged and focuses his thought in front of him. Without entertaining any other thought he earnestly calls to mind [anusmr-] the Buddha. He contemplates the image of the Tathagata without taking his eyes off it. Not taking his eyes off it he then calls to mind the qualities of the Tathagata...

The sutra goes on to describe the various qualities of the Buddha, including his "body made of vajra", his ten powers, his perfect moral qualities, his never ending samadhis and his wisdom (prajña).^[7]

Another EA sutra (Taishô Vol. II, pp. 739bl0—740a24) attests to the great power of the practice of recollection. In this sutra, a selfish layman named Virasena gets a prediction from the Buddha that he will be reborn in hell unless he repents. The layman then practices the ten recollections (the first of which is buddhānusmṛti) and is reborn in a heaven. The Buddha then states: "Should a being practise the ten anusmrtis with uninterrupted faith, even if only for the time it takes to milk a cow, then his merit will be immeasurable."^[7]

In all Theravada countries chanting, devotion (bhatti) and worship (puja) is a big part of lay and monastic Buddhist practice, and devotional chants which praise the qualities of the Buddha are widely used.^[8] Buddhānussati is considered one of the four "Guardian meditations",^[9] as well as part of the "Ten Recollections" and the "forty meditation subjects" (Kammaṭṭhāna) which also includes recollection of the Dharma, Sangha, morality, generosity and Devas. According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, recollection of the Buddha is meant to "induce a sense of joy and confidence (pasada) in the practice" that "can bring the mind to concentration and cleanse it of defilement."^[10]

Buddhagosa, a major Theravada Buddhist scholar, outlines a Buddha mindfulness practice in detail in his Visuddhimagga and he also explains its many benefits.^[11] According to Buddhaghosa, the results of this meditation include: "the fullness of faith, mindfulness, understanding, and merit....he conquers fear and dread....he comes to feel as if he were living in the Master's presence. And his body...becomes as worthy of veneration as a shrine room. His mind tends towards the plane of the Buddhas."^[12]

The Visuddhimagga also mentions that the practice can lead to arhatship by suppressing the hindrances:

Still, though this is so, they can be brought to mind by an ordinary man too, if he possesses the special qualities of purified virtue, and the rest. For when he is recollecting the special qualities of the Buddha, etc., even only according to hearsay, his consciousness settles down, by virtue of which the hindrances are suppressed. In his supreme gladness he initiates insight, and he even attains to Arahantship, like the Elder Phussadeva who dwelt at Katakandhakára.

According to the 'Netti Sutta' of the Abhidhamma Pitaka a yogin who wishes to practice Buddhānussaṭi can use Buddha statues to practice.^{[13][better source needed]}

In the Tantric Theravada tradition, Buddha-mindfulness visualizations are also practiced. Dhammakaya meditation, which was influenced by this Southern tantric tradition,^{[citation needed]} uses the visualization of a clear crystal Buddha image at the center of the body and the repetition of the mantra Sammā-Arahaṃ.^[14]

In Mahayana Buddhism Buddhānusmṛti and related mindfulness practices are often specialized to uniquely Mahayana Buddhas such as Amitabha, Maitreya or Vairocana. These practices also sometimes involve mental visualization of their physical qualities, bodies and Buddha fields (also known as Pure Lands). According to Paul Williams, the development of Mahayana Buddha mindfulness practices can be traced to the Buddhist meditation teachers of Kashmir who composed several texts which emphasized mindfulness of Buddhas.^[15]

Mindfulness of the Buddha is found in numerous Mahayana sutras. For example, the Teaching of Manjusri 700 Line Prajñāpāramitā Sutra (Mañjuśrīparivartāparaparyāyā Saptaśatikāprajñāpāramitā) calls the practice the "single practice samadhi", stating that meditators:

should live in seclusion, cast away discursive thoughts, not cling to the appearance of things, concentrate their minds on a Buddha, and recite his name single-mindedly. They should keep their bodies erect and, facing the direction of that Buddha, meditate upon him continuously. If they can maintain mindfulness of the Buddha without interruption from moment to moment, then they will be able to see all Buddhas of the past, present, and future right in each moment.^[15]

Similarly, in Kumarajiva's Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā (摩訶般若波羅蜜經, T8, no. 223), the Buddha states:

Place the seeds for [your future] happy merit in this ‘Transformation Buddha’ (化佛), or where he is. If there are good men and good women who with a respectful mind only [focus on practicing] buddhānusmṛti, the effect of this good root will end [their] sufferings and produce limitless happiness. Subhūti, set up [the practice of performing] buddhānusmṛti with a respectful heart. If there are good men and good women who [practice] buddhānusmṛti while scattering [even] a single flower into space, [their] sufferings will finally end [and they will produce] limitless happy [retributions]. Subhūti, set up [the practice of performing] buddhānusmṛti with a respectful heart, set up [the practice of performing] buddhānusmṛti [while] scattering flowers. If there are persons that praise/recite namo buddhāya [even only] once [their] sufferings will finally end [and they will produce] limitless happy [retributions].^[1]

Buddha mindfulness is also discussed in the Dazhidulun, the earliest Perfection of Wisdom commentary. It recommends "buddhānusmṛti-samādhi" and the recitation of the phrase "namo buddhāya" to laypersons.^[1]

The most popular Buddha in East Asian Mahayana is Amitabha Buddha, the central Buddha of the popular Asian Pure Land tradition. One of the earliest sutras which mentions mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha is the Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra (translated into Chinese in 179 CE by Lokakshema).^[16] The sutra describes a Buddha mindfulness practice called the Pratyutpannabuddha Saṃmukhāvasthita Samādhi ("the Samādhi for Encountering Face-to-Face the Buddhas of the Present") which can lead to a vision of the Buddhas after which one can worship them directly and even directly receive teachings from them.^[17]

The practice of contemplation of the Buddha is described in this sutra as follows:

what is the calling to mind of the Buddha [buddhānusmṛti]? Namely, he who concentrates on the Tathāgata thus: 'He, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha, endowed with knowledge and conduct, the Sugata, Knower of the World, Tamer of men to be tamed, the Supreme One, Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the Lord; endowed with the Thirty-two Marks of the Great Man and a body resembling the colour of gold; like a bright, shining, and well-established golden image; well-adorned like a pillar of gems; expounding the Dharma amidst an assembly of disciples ...'; he who obtains the samādhi of Emptiness by thus concentrating on the Tathāgata without apprehending him, he is known as one who calls to mind the Buddha.^[7]

The sutra also describes mindfulness of the Buddha as follows "with undistracted thought [aviksiptacittena] he concentrates [manasi-kr-] on the Tathagata."^[7]

This sutra also mentions how one can be reborn in Amitabha's buddhafield (or pure land), something which is a major concern in contemporary Mahayana Buddhism. The Pratyutpanna states that bodhisattvas meditate on Amitabha Buddha again and again and due to this practice they are able to see him in a vision or a dream. Then Amitabha Buddha says "If you wish to come and be born in my realm, you must always call me to mind again and again, you must always keep this thought in mind without letting up, and thus you will succeed in coming to be born in my realm."^[18][7]

However, the sutra also warns that one must train extensively in the practice and also maintain strict ethics to attain this samadhi. It also states that in meditation, one must understand and view the Buddhas properly as being empty. The sutra warns that one should never "think erroneously about" (manyate), "apprehend" (upalabhate), "fixate on" (abhinivisate), "cognise" (samjânâti), "imagine" (kalpati), or "discriminate" (vikalpayati) the Buddha in this meditation. Thus, according to the sutra "he who obtains the samadhi of Emptiness by thus concentrating on the Tathagata without apprehending him, he is known as one who calls to mind the Buddha."^[7] According to Paul Harrison, the main meaning of this is that the visions of the Buddha in meditation should not be grasped at as a substantial entity or to be apprehended as an objectively existing entity (since no such substantial thing exists).^[7]

The Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra says that if one maintains Buddha mindfulness on the Buddha Amitabha, upon death one will have a vision of Amitabha who will then take them to the Pure Land:^[19]

Śāriputra, if, among good men and good women, there are those who, having heard of Amitābha Buddha, single-mindedly uphold His name for one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, or seven days, without being distracted, then upon their dying, Amitābha Buddha, together with a holy multitude, will appear before them. When these people die, their minds will not be demented and they will be reborn in Amitābha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss.^[20]

The Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra also states that its Amitabha focused Buddhānusmṛti practice will lead to the state of non-retrogression (avaivartika), a state in which a bodhisattva's progress cannot be reversed:

Śāriputra, if there are good men and good women who have heard and upheld this sūtra, and have heard Buddhas’ names, they are protected and remembered by all Buddhas. They will never regress from their resolve to attain anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi. Therefore, Śāriputra, you all should believe and accept my words and other Buddhas’ words. If there are those who have resolved, are now resolving, or will resolve to be reborn in Amitābha Buddha’s land, they will never regress from their resolve to attain anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi, whether they have already been reborn, are now being reborn, or will be reborn in that land. Therefore, Śāriputra, if, among good men and good women, there are those who believe [my words], they should resolve to be reborn in that land.^[20]

Other Pure Land sutra like the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, include lengthy descriptions of the Buddha Amitabha's physical qualities and of his Pure land which are used in practices that are meant to allow the meditator to access the Pure Land of Sukhavati, worship Amitabha directly and receive teachings from Amitabha.^[21]

Various Indian Buddhist treatises (shastras) discuss the practice of Buddhānusmṛti. The Indian thinker Nagarjuna discusses the practice in various sources, including in his Daśabhūmika-Vibhasa (Commentary on Dashabhumikasutra).^[22] In chapter nine of this treatise, Nagarjuna mentions the "easy path" (易行品第九) of Buddha mindfulness that the Buddhas have taught as a skillful means that can lead one to the stage of irreversibility [avaivartikabhūmi].^[23]

Yogacara masters also discussed the practice. It is found in Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land (Jìngtǔ lùn 浄土論) and in Asanga's ‘Commentary on Buddha Commemoration’ (Buddhānusmṛti-vṛtti, Tibetan: Sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa’i ‘grel pa).^[1]

In East Asian Buddhism, Buddhānusmṛti practice is called Nianfo (Japanese: Nembutsu) and it is the central practice of the East Asian Mahayana schools of Pure Land Buddhism. Following the lead of the 7th century Chinese Pure Land patriarch Shandao, the East Asian Pure Land schools tend to emphasize the oral recitation of the name of Amitabha Buddha over the visualization aspects of Buddhānusmṛti.^[24]

Visualization practices may still be performed by certain adepts. Thirteen visualization meditations are taught in the Amitayus Contemplation Sutra and these are important in the Pure Land tradition. They include visualization of various elements of Sukhavati pure land, like the setting sun, the waters, ground and trees of the pure land, as well as the lotus throne of the Buddha, the Buddha Amitabha himself as well as his attendant bodhisattvas: Avalokiteśvara and Mahasthamaprapta.^[25]

Another type of Mahayana Buddhānusmṛti practice involves the recitation of a Buddha's mantra or a dharani of a specific Buddha, like the Pure Land Rebirth Dharani.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, a tantric type of Buddhānusmṛti is developed in a practice called deity yoga (Tibetan: lha'i rnal 'byor; Sanskrit: Devata-yoga). The practice of Deity Yoga involves the use of a Mandala image, mantra recitation and visualization of a chosen meditation deity called a Yidam. There are various types of Deity Yoga. One of the practices involves the meditator visualizing the Deity in front of them and another involves the meditator visualizing themselves as their chosen Deity and their surroundings with the elements of their Yidam's Mandala. According to Shangpa Rinpoche, this is the most common type of meditation in Vajrayana Buddhism.^[26]

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