The Six Recollections (Chapter 7) | Path of Purification

What this chapter covers: This chapter explains the first six of ten recollection practices: recollecting the Buddha, the Teaching, the Community, virtue, generosity, and deities. Each practice involves calling to mind specific qualities, which suppresses mental hindrances and produces access concentration (the threshold of deep absorption) but not full absorption. These are particularly suited to noble disciples but can also be practiced by ordinary people with purified virtue.

What Is Recollection?

“Recollection” (anussati) means mindfulness that arises again and again. It is the kind of mindfulness fitting for someone who has gone forth out of faith. It occurs only where it should occur. There are ten recollections in total. This chapter covers the first six:

Recollection of the Buddha — mindfulness focused on the Buddha’s special qualities
Recollection of the Teaching — mindfulness focused on the qualities of the Teaching (Dhamma) being well proclaimed, and so on
Recollection of the Community — mindfulness focused on the Community’s (Sangha) qualities of having entered on the good way, and so on
Recollection of virtue — mindfulness focused on the qualities of one’s own virtue being untorn, and so on
Recollection of generosity — mindfulness focused on one’s own generosity being free from stinginess, and so on
Recollection of deities — mindfulness focused on the qualities of one’s own faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and understanding, with deities standing as witnesses

Recollection of the Buddha

A meditator with firm confidence who wants to develop this practice should go into solitary retreat. There, he should recollect the special qualities of the Buddha as follows:

“That Blessed One is accomplished, fully enlightened, endowed with clear vision and virtuous conduct, sublime, the knower of worlds, the incomparable leader of those fit to be trained, the teacher of gods and humans, enlightened and blessed.”

The meditator reflects: “The Blessed One is such because he is accomplished, he is such because he is fully enlightened … he is such because he is blessed.” He goes through each quality, one by one.

Accomplished

The Buddha is called “accomplished” (arahant) for five reasons:

1. Because of his remoteness from defilements. He stands utterly remote from all defilements. He has expunged every trace of them through the path of awakening.

A man remote indeed we call From something he has not at all; The Saviour too that has no stain May well the name “accomplished” gain.

2. Because he has destroyed the enemies. The enemies — greed, hatred, delusion, and all other defilements — were destroyed by the path of awakening.

The enemies that were deployed, Greed and the rest, have been destroyed By his, the Helper’s, wisdom’s sword, So he is “accomplished,” all accord.

3. Because he has destroyed the spokes of the wheel of rebirth. The round of rebirths is like a wheel. Ignorance and craving for continued existence form its hub. The formations of wholesome and unwholesome actions are its spokes. Ageing and death form its rim. This wheel has been turning through beginningless time.

Background Note: The “wheel of rebirth” is an image for dependent origination (paticca samuppada) — the chain of conditions through which suffering perpetuates itself. Ignorance leads to volitional formations, which lead to consciousness, and so on through twelve links, ending in ageing and death. Understanding this chain and breaking it is central to the Buddha’s teaching.

The Buddha destroyed all the spokes of this wheel at the Place of Enlightenment. He stood firm with the feet of energy on the ground of virtue and wielded the axe of knowledge with the hand of faith.

He knew, saw, understood, and penetrated dependent origination in all its aspects. Having fully understood these conditions, he became dispassionate toward them. His greed faded away. He was liberated. Thus he destroyed the spokes of the wheel of rebirth.

The spokes of rebirth’s wheel have been Destroyed with wisdom’s weapon keen By him, the Helper of the World, And so “accomplished” he is called.

4. Because he is worthy of offerings. He is the being most worthy of receiving the four requisites (robes, food, shelter, and medicine) and of being honoured. When a Buddha has arisen, the greatest deities and human beings pay homage to none other. Brahma Sahampati honoured the Buddha with a jewelled garland as massive as Mount Sineru (Meru). King Bimbisara and the King of Kosala honoured him too. After the Buddha’s final passing, King Asoka gave away ninety-six million in wealth and founded eighty-four thousand monasteries across India.

So he is worthy, the Helper of the World, Of homage paid with requisites; the word “Accomplished” has this meaning in the world: Hence the Victor is worthy of that word.

5. Because he has no secret wrongdoing. Unlike fools who do evil in secret for fear of a bad reputation, the Buddha has nothing to hide.

No secret evil deed may claim An author so august; the name “Accomplished” is his deservedly By absence of such secrecy.

In summary:

The Sage of remoteness unalloyed, Vanquished defiling foes deployed, The spokes of rebirth’s wheel destroyed, Worthy of requisites employed, Secret evil he does avoid: For these five reasons he may claim This word “accomplished” for his name.

Fully Enlightened

The Buddha is called “fully enlightened” (sammasambuddha) because he discovered all things rightly and by himself. He discovered that:

What must be directly known was directly known (the four truths)
What must be fully understood was fully understood (suffering)
What must be abandoned was abandoned (the origin of suffering)
What must be realized was realized (the cessation of suffering)
What must be developed was developed (the path)

What must be directly known is directly known, What has to be developed has been developed, What has to be abandoned has been abandoned; And that, brahman, is why I am enlightened.

He also discovered all things step by step. For each of the six senses — the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind — he understood: this sense is the truth of suffering; the craving that produces it is the truth of its origin; the non-occurrence of both is the truth of cessation; and the path of understanding cessation is the truth of the path. And so too for the six sense objects, the six types of consciousness, the six kinds of contact, feeling, perception, volition, craving, and thought — all the way through the aggregates, the meditation devices, and the whole chain of dependent origination in both forward and reverse order.

Endowed with Clear Vision and Virtuous Conduct

The Buddha possesses both clear vision and virtuous conduct.

Clear vision comes in three kinds and eight kinds. The three are described in the Fear and Dread Discourse. The eight consist of the six kinds of direct knowledge together with insight and the power to create a mind-made body.

Virtuous conduct consists of fifteen things: restraint by virtue, guarding the sense doors, knowing the right amount of food, devotion to wakefulness, seven good qualities, and the four levels of deep absorption (jhana) in the refined mental realm.

Background Note: The Buddha’s possession of vision shows the greatness of his understanding. His possession of conduct shows the greatness of his compassion. Through understanding, the Buddha reached the kingdom of the Teaching. Through compassion, he shared it with others. Through understanding, he crossed over the cycle of rebirth. Through compassion, he brought others across too. His compassion was free from sentimental attachment, and his understanding was free from thoughts of “I” and “mine.”

Sublime

The Buddha is called “sublime” (sugata) for four reasons:

His way of going is good. The noble path is his way of going, and it is purified and blameless. By means of it, he has gone without attachment in the direction of safety.
He has gone to an excellent place. That place is the deathless — the unbinding (Nibbana).
He has gone rightly. He never goes back to the defilements that each stage of the path has abandoned. From his resolution at the feet of the Buddha Dipankara all the way to his own enlightenment, he worked for the welfare of the whole world. He fulfilled the thirty perfections without deviating toward either extreme — neither eternal existence nor total annihilation, neither indulgence in pleasure nor self-torture.
He speaks rightly. He speaks only fitting words in the fitting place. He does not speak what is untrue. He does not speak what is true but harmful. When speech is true, beneficial, and timely, he speaks it — whether or not people want to hear it.

Knower of Worlds

The Buddha has known the world in all ways — its individual nature, its arising, its cessation, and the path to its cessation.

“I do not say there is a world’s end to be reached by travel. Yet there is no escape from suffering without reaching the world’s end. It is in this fathom-long body with its perceptions and consciousness that I make known the world, its arising, its cessation, and the path to its cessation.”

It is a sage, a knower of the worlds, Who gets to the world’s end, and it is he Whose life divine is lived out to its term; He is at peace who the world’s end has known And hopes for neither this world nor the next.

There are three kinds of “world”:

The world of formations — all conditioned phenomena, from the simplest to the most complex
The world of beings — all living creatures, with their habits, tendencies, temperaments, faculties, and capacities
The world of location — the physical universe in all its vastness

The Buddha knew all three worlds completely.

Incomparable Leader of Those Fit to Be Trained

No one surpasses the Buddha in virtue, concentration, understanding, liberation, and knowledge of liberation. He is without equal.

He guides those fit to be trained (purisadammasarathi). He tamed serpent-kings, wild elephants, proud debaters, and powerful deities alike, using whatever method the situation required — sometimes gentle, sometimes firm, sometimes both. As he said: “I train those fit to be trained sometimes gently, sometimes roughly, and sometimes gently and roughly.”

Beyond the initial taming, the Buddha then leads those already tamed even further — guiding stream-enterers to the higher paths, and those with purified virtue to ever deeper levels of concentration.

Teacher of Gods and Humans

The Buddha teaches according to what each being needs — about the benefits of this life, of future lives, and of the ultimate goal.

He is like a caravan leader who brings travellers safely across dangerous wildernesses. Just as a caravan leader gets people through robber-infested terrain, wild-beast country, and waterless deserts to safety, the Buddha leads beings across the wilderness of birth, ageing, sickness, and death.

“Gods and humans” are mentioned specifically because they are the beings most capable of progress. But the Buddha taught even animals. When animals heard his teaching, they could gain the conditions for a favourable rebirth. Then, within two or three lifetimes, they could reach the path and its fruit.

The story of the frog: While the Buddha was teaching beside Gaggara Lake near the city of Campa, a frog grasped a sign in the Buddha’s voice. Just then, a cowherd standing nearby leaned on his stick and crushed the frog’s head. The frog died instantly and was reborn in a golden palace twelve leagues wide in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, surrounded by celestial attendants.

He exclaimed, “I’ve been reborn here! What did I do?” Searching his memory, he found it was simply his attention to the Buddha’s voice. He went at once with his divine palace to the Buddha and paid homage at his feet. Though the Buddha already knew, he asked:

“Who now pays homage at my feet, Shining with glory of success, Illuminating all around With beauty so outstanding?”

“In my last life I was a frog, The waters of a pond my home; A cowherd’s crook ended my life While listening to your Teaching.”

The Buddha taught him. Eighty-four thousand beings gained insight into the Teaching. The frog-turned-deity attained stream-entry, smiled, and vanished.

Enlightened

He is “enlightened” (buddha) because he has discovered everything that can be known through the knowledge of full liberation. He discovered the four truths by himself and awakened others to them. As the texts say: “He is the discoverer of the truths, so he is enlightened. He is the awakener of the generation, so he is enlightened.”

Blessed

“Blessed” (bhagavant) is a term of the highest respect. It is not a name given by his mother, his father, his relatives, or even by deities. It is a name based on realization — a description that came into being together with his attainment of omniscient knowledge at the foot of the Enlightenment Tree.

The Buddha is called “Blessed” because:

He possesses blessings — supreme lordship over his own mind, the supramundane Teaching, exceedingly pure fame spread through the three worlds, perfect physical glory, the ability to produce whatever is needed, and right effort that inspires the whole world’s reverence
He has abolished all defects — the hundred thousand kinds of trouble, anxiety, and defilement: greed, hatred, delusion, anger, envy, conceit, wrong views, and all the rest. In brief, the five Maras (the forces of defilement, the aggregates, volitional formations, death, and the deity Mara) have all been conquered

He has abolished greed and hate, Delusion too, he is canker-free; Abolished every evil state, “Blessed” his name may rightly be.

He has analyzed all things — he has classified all phenomena into wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral; into aggregates, sense bases, elements, truths, and faculties; into suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path
He has cultivated the highest states — the heavenly, divine, and noble abidings; bodily, mental, and existential seclusion; the void, the desireless, and the signless liberations
He has rejected craving in all forms of existence — in the three realms of sensual, refined-material, and immaterial existence, craving has been completely abandoned

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects the Buddha’s qualities in this way — “For this and this reason the Blessed One is accomplished … for this and this reason he is blessed” — then his mind is not obsessed by greed, hatred, or delusion. His mind gains uprightness, being inspired by the Buddha.

When he has suppressed the hindrances in this way, his applied thought and sustained thought flow toward the Buddha’s qualities. Happiness arises. That happiness tranquilizes bodily and mental disturbance. Bliss arises. His mind becomes concentrated. The factors of deep absorption (jhana) arise together in a single moment.

However, this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption. This is because the Buddha’s qualities are so profound, and because the meditator is occupied with recollecting many different qualities at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection of the Buddha:

He is respectful and deferential toward the Master
He attains fullness of faith, mindfulness, understanding, and merit
He has much happiness and gladness
He conquers fear and dread
He is able to endure pain
He feels as if he were living in the Master’s presence
His body becomes as worthy of veneration as a shrine room
His mind tends toward the plane of the Buddhas
When he encounters temptation, he feels conscience and shame as vividly as if face to face with the Master
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of the Buddha Blessed with such mighty potency.

Recollection of the Teaching

A meditator who wants to develop this practice should go into solitary retreat and recollect the qualities of both the scriptural Teaching and the ninefold supramundane Teaching as follows:

“The Teaching is well proclaimed by the Blessed One, visible here and now, not delayed, inviting of inspection, onward-leading, and directly experienceable by the wise.”

Well Proclaimed

The scriptural Teaching is well proclaimed because it is good in the beginning, the middle, and the end.

A single verse is good at the start with its first word, good in the middle, and good at the end with its last word.
A discourse with a single theme is good at the start with its introduction, good in the middle with its body, and good at the end with its conclusion.
The entire Teaching is good at the start with virtue as one’s own well-being. It is good in the middle with serenity, insight, and the path. It is good at the end with the unbinding (Nibbana).

The Teaching announces a life of purity that is utterly perfect and pure, with both depth of meaning and clarity of expression. Its meaning is profound and its words are clear. Nothing needs to be added and nothing needs to be removed.

The meaning of other teachers’ doctrines gets distorted — they describe as obstacles things that are not really obstacles, and as ways out things that are not really ways out. But the Buddha’s Teaching suffers no such distortion. What it describes as an obstacle truly is one. What it describes as a way out truly is one.

The supramundane Teaching is well proclaimed because the path and the goal fit together perfectly. As the texts say: “The way leading to the unbinding has been properly declared, and the unbinding and the way meet — just as the waters of the Ganges meet and join with the waters of the Yamuna.”

The noble path is the middle way. It avoids both extremes. The fruits of the path have genuinely tranquilized defilements. And the unbinding — whose nature is eternal, deathless, a refuge and shelter — is proclaimed as exactly that.

Visible Here and Now

The noble path is visible here and now. When someone does away with greed in his own mind, that is not something he must take on faith. He sees it for himself.

As the Buddha said: “When a man is dyed with greed, his mind is overwhelmed, and he thinks for his own affliction and for the affliction of others. When greed has been abandoned, he no longer does so. This is how the Teaching is visible here and now.”

The entire supramundane Teaching — path, fruition, and unbinding — is visible through one’s own reviewing knowledge, without relying on faith in someone else.

Not Delayed

The path gives its fruit immediately, not after five or seven days. The fruit comes right next to the path itself, without any gap.

Inviting of Inspection

The Teaching is worthy of the invitation: “Come and see this Teaching.” Why? Because it is both real and pure.

If a man claims to have gold in an empty hand, he cannot say “come and see.” There is nothing there. And if something exists but is impure — like dung or urine — it must be covered up, not shown off. But the supramundane Teaching truly exists and is as pure as the full moon in a cloudless sky, or a flawless gem on white cloth. So it genuinely invites inspection.

Onward-Leading

The path, fruition, and unbinding all lead onward. The path should be developed in one’s own mind urgently, without worrying whether one’s clothes or head are on fire. Fruition and unbinding should be realized and made one’s own shelter.

Directly Experienceable by the Wise

Every kind of wise person can experience this Teaching directly. Each one knows for himself: “The path has been developed, fruition attained, and cessation realized, by me.”

It does not work by proxy. When a teacher develops the path, the student’s defilements are not abandoned. A student does not dwell in comfort through the teacher’s attainment. This Teaching is visible only in one’s own mind. It can be experienced by the wise, but it is not the province of fools.

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects the Teaching’s qualities in this way, the hindrances are suppressed. The factors of deep absorption arise in a single moment. But this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption — because the Teaching’s qualities are so profound, and because many different qualities are being recollected at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection:

He recognizes that no other teacher in the past or present possesses such a Teaching
He is respectful and deferential toward the Master
He entertains great reverence for the Teaching and attains fullness of faith
He has much happiness and gladness
He conquers fear and dread
He is able to endure pain
He feels as if living in the Teaching’s presence
His body becomes as worthy of veneration as a shrine room
His mind tends toward realizing the peerless Teaching
When he encounters temptation, he feels conscience and shame on recollecting the well-ordered nature of the Teaching
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of the Teaching Blessed with such mighty potency.

Recollection of the Community

A meditator who wants to develop this practice should go into solitary retreat and recollect the qualities of the noble Community as follows:

“The Community of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way, entered on the straight way, entered on the true way, entered on the proper way — that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight individuals. This Community is fit for gifts, fit for hospitality, fit for offerings, fit for reverential salutation, and is an incomparable field of merit for the world.”

Entered on the Good, Straight, True, and Proper Way

The Community has entered on the good way because it has entered on the right way — the way that is irreversible, that conforms to truth, and that is regulated by the Teaching. This way is straight, unbent, and uncrooked. It is noble and true. It is called “proper” because of its becomingness.

Those standing on the path have entered on the good way because they possess the right practice
Those standing in fruition have entered on the good way because through right practice they have realized what should be realized
The Community has entered on the straight way by avoiding both extremes and taking the middle course
It has entered on the true way because the unbinding is what is called “true,” and the Community has entered on the way with that as its aim

The four pairs and eight individuals: Taking them in pairs — one on the first path and one in the first fruition make one pair, and so on — there are four pairs. Taking them individually — one person on the first path, one in the first fruition, and so on — there are eight persons.

Fit for Gifts

A “gift” here means the four requisites (robes, food, shelter, medicine) that should be brought and given to the virtuous, even from far away. The Community is fit for these gifts because it makes them bear great fruit.

Were anyone to serve the fire Out in the woods a hundred years, And pay one moment’s homage too To men of self-development, His homage would by far excel His hundred years of sacrifice.

Fit for Hospitality

“Hospitality” is a special offering prepared for dear relatives and friends arriving from far away. But even more than to such beloved visitors, offerings are fitting for the Community. For the Community is encountered only rarely — after the long interval between Buddhas — and possesses wholly lovable qualities.

Fit for Offerings

An “offering” is a gift given out of faith in the world to come. The Community is worthy of such offerings. It purifies them by making them bear great fruit.

Fit for Reverential Salutation

The Community is worthy of the whole world placing its palms together above the head in respect.

An Incomparable Field of Merit for the World

Just as the king’s rice field is where the king’s rice grows, the Community is where the world’s merit grows. The world’s various kinds of merit leading to welfare and happiness grow with the Community as their support.

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects the Community’s qualities in this way, the hindrances are suppressed. The factors of deep absorption arise in a single moment. But this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption — because the Community’s qualities are so profound, and because many different qualities are being recollected at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection:

He is respectful and deferential toward the Community
He attains fullness of faith
He has much happiness and gladness
He conquers fear and dread
He is able to endure pain
He feels as if living in the Community’s presence
His body becomes as worthy of veneration as a meeting hall where the Community has gathered
His mind tends toward attaining the Community’s special qualities
When he encounters temptation, he feels conscience and shame as vividly as if face to face with the Community
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of the Community Blessed with such mighty potency.

Recollection of Virtue

A meditator who wants to develop this practice should go into solitary retreat and recollect the special qualities of his own virtue as follows:

“Indeed, my various kinds of virtue are untorn, unrent, unblotched, unmottled, liberating, praised by the wise, not adhered to, and conducive to concentration.”

A layperson should recollect lay virtue. A monastic should recollect monastic virtue.

The Eight Qualities of Virtue

Untorn: Like a cloth with good edges, no virtue is broken at the beginning or end
Unrent: Like a cloth without holes in the middle, no virtue is broken in the middle
Unblotched: Like a cow of one colour without patches on her back or belly, no virtue is broken two or three times in succession
Unmottled: Like a cow without scattered spots, no virtue is broken at intervals throughout
Liberating: These virtues free one from the slavery of craving
Praised by the wise: They are praised by Buddhas and other wise beings
Not adhered to: They are not grasped at with craving or wrong views. No one can find a flaw in them
Conducive to concentration: They lead to access concentration and absorption, or to path concentration and fruition concentration

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects his own virtues and their qualities in this way, the hindrances are suppressed. The factors of deep absorption arise in a single moment. But this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption — because the qualities of virtue are so profound, and because many different qualities are being recollected at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection:

He has respect for the training
He lives in harmony with his fellow practitioners
He is welcoming and hospitable
He is free from the fear of self-reproach
He sees danger in the slightest fault
He attains fullness of faith
He has much happiness and gladness
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of his virtue Blessed with such mighty potency.

Recollection of Generosity

A meditator who wants to develop this practice should already be naturally devoted to giving and sharing. If he is just starting, he should make a resolution: “From now on, whenever someone is present to receive, I will not eat even a single mouthful without having given a gift.”

That very day, he should give a gift by sharing according to his means with those of distinguished qualities. Then he should go into solitary retreat and recollect his own generosity as follows:

“It is gain for me, it is great gain for me, that in a generation obsessed by the stain of stinginess I live with my heart free from stinginess, freely generous and open-handed, delighting in letting go, ready to be asked, and rejoicing in giving and sharing.”

“It is gain for me” refers to the many benefits of giving that the Buddha has praised: “A person who gives food gives life, whether divine or human.” “A giver is loved and sought out by many.” “One who gives is ever loved, according to the wise person’s law.”

“It is great gain for me” means: it is a great advantage that I have gained this human life and this opportunity. And why? Because among beings overwhelmed by stinginess — that dark quality which makes it impossible to bear sharing one’s good fortune with others — I live with a heart free from it.

“Freely generous” means liberally generous. “Open-handed” means with hands always ready to give carefully and personally. “Delighting in letting go” means devoted to the constant practice of relinquishing. “Ready to be asked” means accustomed to giving whatever others ask for. “Rejoicing in giving and sharing” means taking pleasure in both giving gifts and sharing what one has.

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects his own generosity and its qualities in this way, the hindrances are suppressed. The factors of deep absorption arise in a single moment. But this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption — because the qualities of generosity are so profound, and because many different qualities are being recollected at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection:

He becomes ever more intent on generosity
His preference is for non-greed
He acts in conformity with loving-kindness
He is fearless
He has much happiness and gladness
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of his giving Blessed with such mighty potency.

Recollection of Deities

A meditator who wants to develop this practice should possess the qualities of faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and understanding. He should go into solitary retreat and recollect his own qualities — using the deities as witnesses — as follows:

“There are deities of the Realm of the Four Kings, deities of the Realm of the Thirty-Three, deities who have Gone to Divine Bliss, Contented deities, deities who Delight in Creating, deities who Wield Power Over Others’ Creations, deities of Brahma’s Retinue, and deities higher than that. Those deities possessed such faith that when they died here they were reborn there — and such faith is present in me too. Those deities possessed such virtue … such learning … such generosity … such understanding that when they died here they were reborn there — and such understanding is present in me too.”

The key point is this: the meditator is not simply admiring the deities. He is recollecting his own qualities of faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and understanding. The deities serve as witnesses — proof that these same qualities lead to excellent rebirths.

In the first phase, he reflects on the deities’ qualities. In the second phase, he turns attention to the same qualities existing in himself.

How the Practice Works

As long as the meditator recollects in this way, the hindrances are suppressed. The factors of deep absorption arise in a single moment. But this practice reaches only access concentration, not full absorption — because the qualities being recollected are so profound, and because many different qualities are being recollected at once.

Benefits

When a practitioner is devoted to this recollection:

He becomes dearly loved by deities
He obtains even greater fullness of faith
He has much happiness and gladness
If he penetrates no higher, he is at least headed for a happy destiny

Now, when a man is truly wise, His constant task will surely be This recollection of deities Blessed with such mighty potency.

Who Can Practice These Six Recollections?

These six recollections are most fully realized by noble disciples — stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and fully awakened ones. The qualities of the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community are directly evident to them. They possess untorn virtue, generosity free from stinginess, and the qualities of faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and understanding comparable to those of the deities.

In the Mahanama Discourse, the Buddha taught these six recollections to the stream-enterer Mahanama, who asked for a practice to depend on. In the Cupidity Discourse, they are taught so that a noble disciple may purify his consciousness and attain further purification. In the Crowded Places Discourse, the Venerable Maha-Kaccana explains them as the way to find spaciousness even in a crowded life. And in the Observance Day Discourse, they are taught as a mind-purifying practice for a noble disciple keeping the observance day.

However, an ordinary person can practice them too, provided he possesses purified virtue and the other foundations. When he recollects the Buddha’s qualities even based on what he has heard, his consciousness settles down and the hindrances are suppressed. In his great gladness he can initiate insight and even reach full awakening.

The story of the Elder Phussadeva: This elder lived at Katakandhakara. One day he saw a figure of the Buddha that had been created by Mara (the tempter). He thought: “How beautiful this figure appears — and it is full of greed, hatred, and delusion! What must the Blessed One’s beauty have been like, since he was completely free from greed, hatred, and delusion!” Happiness arose in him with the Buddha as its object. By deepening his insight from that point, he reached full awakening.

This is the seventh chapter, “The Description of Six Recollections,” in the section on the Development of Concentration in the Path of Purification, composed for the purpose of gladdening good people.