Buddhānusmṛti

Later Mahayana traditions like Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayana also taught meditations focused on other Buddhas like Amitabha, Maitreya or Vairocana.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, the central practice of deity yoga can be seen as a kind of Buddha mindfulness with numerous esoteric elements.

This one thing, when developed and cultivated, leads solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment [nirvana].” — AN 1.296A 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).

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.

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.

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."

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.

In this sutra, a selfish layman named Virasena gets a prediction from the Buddha that he will be reborn in hell unless he repents.

describes the qualities of a Buddha one should contemplate: He is the one person appearing in the world [who belongs to] the kind of living beings [who have] an exceedingly extended lifespan.

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.

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.

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.

These practices also sometimes involve mental visualization of their physical qualities, bodies and Buddha fields (also known as Pure Lands).

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.

One of the earliest sutras which mentions mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha is the Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra (translated into Chinese in 179 CE by Lokakshema).

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] 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 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.

Or those who have done obeisance to images, or merely pressed their palms together, or raised a single hand, or nodded their heads, will in due time see immeasurable buddhas.

This set of scriptures includes the Amitayurdhyana Sutra as well as other texts like the Sūtra on the Ocean-like Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha (Guan Fo Sanmei Hai Jing, Taisho no.

643) and the Sutra on the Contemplation of Maitreya Bodhisattva's Ascent to Rebirth in Tusita Heaven (Guan Mile Pusa Shangsheng Doushuaitian Jing).

[23][1] The Sūtra on the Ocean-like Samādhi tells of a prince who is taught by a monk to recite namo buddhāya near a stupa.

This leads to a night time vision of the Buddha and to future travels to buddhafields due to his attainment of the "gate of buddha-mindfulness" (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi-mukha).

[25][26] According to Nagarjuna, if one wishes to practice this method, one should "bear in mind" the buddhas of the ten directions and "invoke their names".

According to this sutra "if there is a son or daughter of good family who but hears this buddha's name and is then able to have faith and accept him, such a person will immediately achieve irreversibility with respect to the attainment of anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi.

[31] Due to the influence of Shandao's writings, which highlight vocal Buddhānusmṛti as the most important practice, the mere verbal chanting or recitation of the phrase 南無阿彌陀佛 (Mandarin: Nāmó Ēmítuófó, Japanese: Namu Amida Butsu, "Homage to Amitabha Buddha") without any visualization or other meditative technique, is the most widely practice form of Buddhānusmṛti in most East Asian Pure land traditions, including the Japanese Pure land traditions of Honen and Shinran.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, a tantric type of Buddhānusmṛti is developed in a practice called deity yoga (Tibetan: lha'i rnal 'byor; Sanskrit: Devata-yoga).