Anussati Explained

Pali: Anussati (Pāli; Sanskrit: Anusmṛti|italic=yes; ;) means "recollection," "contemplation," "remembrance," "meditation", and "mindfulness". It refers to specific Buddhist meditational or devotional practices, such as recollecting the sublime qualities of the Buddha, which lead to mental tranquillity and abiding joy. In various contexts, the Pali literature and Sanskrit Mahayana sutras emphasise and identify different enumerations of recollections.

may also refer to meditative attainments, such as the ability to recollect past lives (Pali: pubbenivāsānussati), also called causal memory.

Grouping

Three recollections

The three recollections:

The Dhammapada (Verse 296, 297 & 298) declares that the Buddha's disciples who constantly practice recollection of the Triple Gem "ever awaken happily". According to the Theragatha, such a practice will lead to "the height of continual joy".

Unlike other subjects of meditative recollection mentioned in this article, the Triple Gem are considered "devotional contemplations". The Triple Gem are listed as the first three subjects of recollection for each of the following lists as well.

Five recollections

On days, in addition to practicing the Eight Precepts, the Buddha enjoined a disciple to engage in one or more of five recollections:

According to the Buddha, for one who practices such recollections: "his mind is calmed, and joy arises; the defilements of his mind are abandoned".

Six recollections

The six recollections are:

The Buddha tells a disciple that the mind of one who practices these recollections "is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, ... gains joy connected with the Dhamma..., rapture arises..., the body grows calm ... experiences ease..., the mind becomes concentrated".

In Mahayana Buddhist practices, the first six recollections were commonly taught and the Buddha Pali: anussati was particularly emphasised in many popular sutras such as the Medicine Buddha sutra.

Ten recollections

As ten recollections, the following are added to the previous six recollections:

In the Pali canon's Aṅguttara Nikāya, it is stated that the practice of any one of these ten recollections leads to Pali: nibbana (Sanskrit: [[nirvana]]|italic=yes). The Ten Recollections are listed among the Pali: [[kammaṭṭhāna]], forty classic meditation subjects listed in the Visuddhimagga useful for developing concentration needed to suppress and destroy the five hindrances during ones pursuit of Pali: [[Nirvana|nibbana]]. Although the Pali canon refers to mindfulness of death (Pali: maraṇāsati), the Visuddhimagga refers to the recollection of death (Pali: maraṇānussati).

In terms of the development of meditative absorption, mindfulness of the breath can lead to all four Pali: [[jhana]]s, mindfulness of the body can lead only to the first Pali: jhana, while the eight other recollections culminate in pre-jhanic "access concentration" (Pali: upacara samadhi).

The recollection of death is connected with the Buddhist concept of non-self: devotees recollect on the inevitability of their own demise, and in that way learn to understand that their physical body is not a permanent self. To often reflect in such a way, is believed to strongly affect the devotee's motivations and priorities in life, and to help the devotee become more realistic.

Recollections

Recollection of the Buddha (Buddhanussati)

See main article: Buddhānusmṛti.

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verse (Pali: [[Gatha (India)|gatha]]) for the recollection the Buddha:

It has been suggested that the recollection of the Buddha identified in the Theravādin's Pāli Canon might have been the basis for the more elaborately visual contemplations typical of Tibetan Buddhism.

Recollection of the Dhamma (Dhammanusati)

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verse for the recollection of the Pali: Dhamma:

The Teaching of the Buddha has six supreme qualities:

  1. Pali: Svākkhāto (Sanskrit: Svākhyāta|italic=yes; "well-expounded, well-proclaimed, or self-announced"). The Buddha's teaching is not a speculative philosophy but an exposition of the Universal Law of Nature based on a causal analysis of natural phenomena. It is taught, therefore, as a science rather than a sectarian belief system. Full comprehension (enlightenment) of the teaching may take varying lengths of time but Buddhists traditionally say that the course of study is 'excellent in the beginning (Pali: [[Buddhist ethics|sīla]]; Sanskrit: śīla|italic=yes; "moral principles"), excellent in the middle (Sanskrit: [[Samādhi (Buddhism)|samādhi]]|italic=yes; "concentration") and excellent in the end' (Pali: paññā; Sanskrit: [[Wisdom in Buddhism|prajñā]]|italic=yes; "wisdom").
  2. Pali: Sandiṭṭhiko (Sanskrit: Sāṃdṛṣṭika|italic=yes; "able to be examined"). The Pali: Dhamma is open to scientific and other types of scrutiny and is not based on faith. It can be tested by personal practice and one who follows it will see the result for oneself by means of one's own experience. Pali: Sandiṭṭhiko comes from the word Sanskrit: sandiṭṭhika which means "visible in this world" and is derived from the word Sanskrit: sandiṭṭhi. Since the Pali: Dhamma is visible, it can be "seen": known and be experienced within one's life.
  3. Pali: Akāliko (Sanskrit: Akālika|italic=yes; "timeless, immediate"). The Pali: Dhamma is able to bestow timeless and immediate results here and now. There is no need to wait for the future or a next existence. The Pali: Dhamma does not change over time and it is not relative to time.
  4. Pali: Ehipassiko (Sanskrit: Ehipaśyika|italic=yes; "which you can come and see" — from the phrase Sanskrit: ehi, paśya, "come, see!"). The Dhamma invites all beings to put it to the test and come see for themselves.
  5. Pali: Opanayiko (Sanskrit: Avapraṇayika|italic=yes; "leading one close to"). Followed as a part of one's life the dhamma leads one to liberation. In the "Vishuddhimagga" this is also referred to as "Upanayanam." Pali: Opanayiko means "to be brought inside oneself". This can be understood with an analogy as follows. If one says a ripe mango tastes delicious, and if several people listen and come to believe it, they would imagine the taste of the mango according to their previous experiences of other delicious mangoes. Yet, they will still not really know exactly how this mango tastes. Also, if there is a person who has never tasted a ripe mango before, that person has no way of knowing exactly for himself how it tastes. So, the only way to know the exact taste is to experience it. In the same way, Pali: dhamma is said to be Pali: opanayiko which means that a person needs to experience it within to see exactly what it is.
  6. Pali: Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi (Sanskrit: Pratyātmaṃ veditavyo vijñaiḥ|italic=yes; "to be meant to perceive directly"). The Pali: Dhamma is "to be realised by the wise for themselves". It can be perfectly realised only by the noble disciples (Pali: ariya-puggala) who have matured in supreme wisdom. No one can "enlighten" another person. Each intelligent person has to attain and experience for themselves. As an analogy, no one can simply make another know how to swim. Each person individually has to learn how to swim. In the same way, dhamma cannot be transferred or bestowed upon someone. Each one has to know for themselves.

Knowing these attributes, Buddhists believe that they will attain the greatest peace and happiness through the practice of the Pali: Dhamma. Therefore, each person is fully responsible for his or her self to put it into practice for real.

Here the Buddha is compared to an experienced and skillful doctor, and the Pali: Dhamma to proper medicine. However efficient the doctor or wonderful the medicine may be, the patients cannot be cured unless they take the medicine properly. So the practice of the Pali: Dhamma is the only way to attain the final deliverance of Pali: nibbāna.

These teachings ranged from understanding Pali: kamma (Sanskrit: [[Karma in Buddhism|karma]]|italic=yes;) and developing good impressions in one's mind, to reach full enlightenment by recognising the nature of mind.

Recollection of the Sangha (Sanghanusati)

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verses for the recollection of the Sangha:

Practicing masterfully, or practicing with integrity, means sharing what they have learned with others.

Recollection of virtues (Silanussati)

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verse for the recollection of virtues:

Recollection of generosity (Caganussati)

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verse for the recollection of generosity:

Recollection of devas (Devatanussati)

The Aṅguttara Nikāya provides the following verses for the recollection of the devas:

Bibliography

External links

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