Meditation on the Buddha.

Buddhanussati is the meditation of recollecting the Buddha’s qualities.
One of the most useful meditations taught by the Buddha is recollecting the qualities of the Buddha and his enlightenment. By remembering the Buddha’s special qualities, we gain much-needed confidence in his enlightenment and the spiritual practice he gave us.

One of the most beautiful explanations of this meditation comes from the Mahanama Sutta in the Numerical Discourses. Mahanama was an elder in the Buddha’s birth family and a faithful disciple. This passage recounts one of the many times he would go to seek advice from the Buddha:

“There is the case where you recollect the Tathagata: ‘Indeed, the Blessed One is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge and conduct, well-gone, an expert about the world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine and human beings, awakened, blessed.’ At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Tathagata, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Tathagata. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated.

“Mahanama, you should develop this recollection of the Buddha while you are walking, while you are standing, while you are sitting, while you are lying down, while you are busy at work, while you are resting in your home crowded with children.

Read Mahanama Sutta: To Mahanama (2) translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Below is the text of the guided meditation we use at our monastery to help us remember the meaning of the Buddha’s qualities. It is helpful to first memorize the list of his nine qualities in Pali, along with their English meanings. That list can serve as a framework for remembering the specific meaning of each quality.

Arahant – Fully Accomplished One
Sammāsambuddho – Fully Enlightened
Vijjācaranasampanno – Perfect in True Knowledge and Conduct
Sugato – Sublime
Lokavidū – Knower of All Worlds
Anuttaro purisadammasārathi – Incomparable Leader of Persons to be Tamed
Satthā devamanussānam – Teacher of Gods and Humans
Buddho – Fully Enlightened
Bhagavā – Blessed One

If we have not memorized this list and the meaning of each quality, we can easily glance down at a printed copy until we have them committed to memory.

Nammo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa!
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One!

Arahant – Fully Accomplished One
I go for refuge to the Supreme Buddha, my great Teacher.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated sensual desires and was entirely free of them.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated hatred and was entirely free of it.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated delusion and was entirely free of it.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated all defilements and all unwholesome thoughts, speech, and actions.
The Supreme Buddha did not commit any misdeeds, even in secret.

The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire to see forms.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire to hear sounds.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire to smell odors.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire to taste flavors.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire for tangible things.
The Supreme Buddha eradicated the desire to cognize thoughts.
The Supreme Buddha guarded, controlled, tamed, and restrained the sense faculties.
My great Teacher, the Supreme Buddha, completely destroyed all taints and was fully purified in body, speech, and mind.

Sammāsambuddho – Fully Enlightened
The Supreme Buddha, alone, perfectly understood the truth of suffering without anyone’s help.
The Supreme Buddha, alone, eradicated the origin of suffering without anyone’s help.
The Supreme Buddha, alone, attained the cessation of suffering without anyone’s help.
The Supreme Buddha, alone, developed the path leading to the cessation of suffering without anyone’s help.
The Supreme Buddha, alone, realized the Four Noble Truths without anyone’s help.
The Supreme Buddha understood the Four Noble Truths as they really are, in their three phases (satya ñana, krutya ñana, kruta ñana) and twelve aspects, without the help of a teacher.
The Supreme Buddha, my great Teacher, is the one and only Teacher who alone realized the Four Noble Truths, escaped suffering, and achieved real happiness.

Vijjācaranasampanno – Perfect in True Knowledge and Conduct
Iddhivida ñāna: The Supreme Buddha had the supernatural powers to create whatever he wished (to become many from one; to become one from many; to appear and disappear; to move unhindered through walls and mountains, as though through space; to dive in and out of the Earth, as though it were water; to walk on water, as though it were Earth; to travel in the air seated cross-legged, like birds; to touch and stroke the Sun and Moon). Powerful and mighty was the Supreme Buddha, exercising mastery even as far as the Brahma world.
Dibba sota—Divine ear: The Supreme Buddha had the ability to hear both divine and human sounds, whether far away or near.
Dibba chakku—Divine eye: The Supreme Buddha had the ability to see even the smallest things at a great distance by his divine eye.
Paracittavijānana ñāna: The Supreme Buddha had the ability to read others’ minds.
Pubbenivāsānussati ñāna: The Supreme Buddha had the ability to recollect the past lives of beings.
Cutūpapāta ñāna: The Supreme Buddha had the ability to see the passing away and rebirth of beings according to their actions.
Āsavakkhaya ñāna: The Supreme Buddha had the knowledge of the destruction of all taints.
The Supreme Buddha developed excellent psychic powers.
My great Teacher, the Supreme Buddha, had excellent virtue, excellent concentration, excellent wisdom, excellent mindfulness; extraordinary effort, courage, and determination.

Sugato – Sublime
The Supreme Buddha discovered the correct and clear path, the Noble Eightfold Path. Following the Noble Eightfold Path, my great Teacher achieved the bliss of Nibbāna.

Lokavidū – Knower of All Worlds
The Supreme Buddha understood all worlds – the Brahma world, the heavenly world, the human world, hell, the animal world, the ghost world, and the titans’ world. The Supreme Buddha understood the origin of all worlds and escaped from all worlds.

Anuttaro purisadammasārathi – Incomparable Leader of Persons to be Tamed
With great compassion, loving kindness, and great wisdom, the Supreme Buddha tamed immoral humans, gods, and Brahmas, making them moral and virtuous.

Satthā devamanussānam – Teacher of Gods and Humans
The Supreme Buddha is the Teacher of gods and humans. The Supreme Buddha showed wise gods and wise humans the way to end suffering and reach Nibbāna.

Buddho – Fully Enlightened
Unaided and unguided by any other, my great Teacher, the Supreme Buddha, attained the supreme state of Enlightenment and fully realized the Four Noble Truths. The Supreme Buddha, with great compassion, expounded the Dhamma to others without holding anything back, so that they may understand suffering and achieve real happiness.

Bhagavā – Blessed One
The Supreme Buddha is the only extraordinary, supreme Teacher with all of these great qualities.

These are the great qualities of the Supreme Buddha, my great Teacher. My refuge rests on these exceptional qualities and on the Supreme Buddha’s incomparable virtue, concentration, and wisdom.

Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!

My great Teacher has taught us that when a noble son or daughter recollects the qualities of the Blessed One, the mind of the noble disciple is not afflicted by sensual desire, hatred, or delusion. The mind becomes unshaken toward the Supreme Buddha. With perfect confidence in the Blessed One, the noble disciple gains inspiration from the truth of the Dhamma. Gladness arises in the noble disciple. With gladness toward the Dhamma, rapture and joy are born. With joy, the body becomes tranquil. With a tranquil body, the noble disciple feels pleasure. With pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. The noble disciple abides recollecting the great qualities of the Supreme Buddha, the Blessed One, my great Teacher.