33) 不杂持名

Recitation without Sundry Thoughts

The absence of sundry thoughts is “stopping”. Stopping is the cause of samadhi. If you can put a stop to sundry (impure) thoughts, correct thoughts (samadhi) will naturally appear. Sundry thoughts fall into three categories: good, bad and neutral.

To eliminate all three is to eliminate sundry thoughts.(16) The mind requires stillness. With stillness, neither good nor bad thoughts arise. The m ind requires clarity. With clarity, there is no “neutral” thought.

There is no recitation except recitation of the Buddha’s name. Therefore, the m ind is always still. In recitation, there is [only] Buddha, therefore, the m ind is always bright and clear.

不杂者即是止也，止者定之机也，止杂念而正念现矣！杂念有三：一善念、一恶念、一无记念，三者除尽，方为不杂。心要寂寂，寂寂则善恶念不生，心要惺惺，惺惺则 无记念不生；佛外无念，故常寂寂；念中有佛，故常惺惺。