The selfless function of memory is neither good nor bad. It exists as an essential selfless function being part of the entire complex function of a selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting mind for it to be what it is, being part of the essential selfless function of the selfless physical body, to be perceiving, processing and experiencing a selfless impermanent worldly life existence that is limited by time, space and causation.
If without the essential function of memory and memory storage being part of the selfless function of the perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty, then what is the function of thinking and acting? What is the mind perception of a worldly life existence? What is 'I' and 'mine'? What are ties and relationships? What is worldly personal and group identity? What is intellectual reasoning and cognitive understanding? What is learning? What is knowledge and skill? What is likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements? What is belief/disbelief and values? What is desire and greed? What is goodness and badness, righteousness and wrongfulness, happiness and unhappiness, or meaningfulness and meaninglessness? What is enjoyment or suffering? What is separateness and loneliness? What is craving and aversion? What is self-esteem and self-worth? What is success and failure? What is pride? What is superiority and inferiority? What is humiliation? What is hurtful or traumatic experience? What is yoga practice and practicing yoga? And etc.
It's like the essential 'SAVE' and 'OPEN FILE' function of the memory storage of the CPU of a computer, regardless of whether the basic essential programming for the operating system and all kinds of data and information are being saved in the internal built in memory storage or the external memory storage. The 'OPEN FILE' function to recall or playback saved data or information, is similar to the function of remembrance of the selfless thinking and acting faculty for it to be functioning 'normally'.
The selfless thinking and acting faculty cannot function (properly or normally) as what it is, if without the essential selfless function of memory, where the selfless function of the cognition and the intellect are useless. The selfless thinking faculty doesn't remember or recall anything that it perceives, or any thought of any name and form that is arising, changing and passing away upon the modification of the mind, in order to be processing whatever it perceives that is reflected in the form of a continuous stream of thought after thought, through the selfless function of the intellect and cognition, to be reasoning, to be understanding, to be learning anything, or to be developing any skill, to be remembering all and everything that the selfless perceptive thinking and acting faculty perceived and processed, where all perceived names and forms are being saved autonomously in the memory storage, either consciously, half-consciously, or unconsciously.
There might still be the selfless function of the perception being functioning as what it is, perceiving all kinds of names and forms through the selfless senses via the selfless sense organs, even if under the absence of the function of memory, or cognition, or intellect, to be remembering, knowing, reasoning, learning and understanding anything, even if the memory storage is there keeping all kinds of memories or knowledge and understanding, however, if without the function of memory, the cognition (knowledge and understanding) or the intellect (reasoning) would be useless, as the reasoning are based on the existing knowledge and understanding that is being stored in the memory storage.
Just as a video camera can still be displaying the captured images on the screen if
there's enough battery for it to be operating as what it is, capturing
images and reflecting them upon the screen, but it cannot record anything to become video clips for playback,
if without a valid and vacant memory card or storage. Even the basic essential programming of specific operating system that is enabling the video camera to be operating in certain way also needed to be stored somewhere in the memory storage. And if there is memory space to be recording the images into video clips, but if there's absence or malfunctioning of the playback function, the recorded video clips cannot be displayed, which is similar to the function of remembrance, where the selfless thinking and acting faculty cannot recall or remember certain or all memories that are stored in the memory storage, if there's deficiency or malfunctioning of the function of remembrance.
The selfless physical body can still be operating autonomously, under the support of the selfless elements and energy that is available up to certain extend before it's completely depleted, even if all the different functions of the modification of the mind are non-functioning, just as in the deep sleep state, where the thought process of thinking, reasoning, understanding, desiring and acting is absent. That's why the entire world will be so peaceful, if all minds went into deep sleep state, or are absent, even just for a few moments.
Under the function of the memory, the selfless thinking faculty could recall what it can recall from the memory storage, of what it has been perceiving through the senses and processing through the intellect and cognition, of certain conscious, half-conscious or unconscious mind inputs and thought process, upon waking up from deep sleep state or unconsciousness, remembering time and space, remembering some, or most, or all of its ties and relationships, personal and group identities, duties and responsibilities, appointments and plannings, accomplishments and non-accomplishments, desirable and undesirable experiences or events, different names and forms, experiences, interactions, learning, skills and knowledge, likes and dislikes, desires and don't desires, and hence, it can be functioning as what it is, continuing its everyday life routine under certain familiar built up habits, performing its many different activities, duties and responsibilities under different identities, ties or relationships, learning new knowledge and skill, exploring new experiences, even if the function of memory is not highly efficient, where it might not be able to remember all and everything exactly as what it was. And all these traits, ties, relationships, identities, duties, responsibilities, interactions, habits, routines, activities, thinking, reasoning, understanding, learning, desires or actions of a selfless impermanent worldly life existence would not be possible, if the function of memory is completely absent or non-available since the beginning of conception.
There are different types and degrees of memory deficiency or malfunctioning.
Someone who might not remember what it had perceived and experienced in
the last few months, but might be remembering what it perceived and
experienced many years ago.
Under certain cases, the selfless 'normal' thinking and acting faculty that has been learning and remembering many things, knowledge and skills, but then it suffers short term or long term memory deficiency or malfunctioning due to certain reason at certain stage, where it couldn't remember some/many/all things from then onward, but it might still can be performing certain activities or skills autonomously deriving from the existing memory storage of what had been experienced, learned, processed and stored before the memory malfunctioning happens, even if the selfless thinking faculty has no idea of "I remember and know what is this or how to do this." Such as someone who had been learning and playing guitar, but somehow it couldn't remember or recall many things due to memory deficiency, or doesn't remember the name of this instrument, can still pick up the guitar and starts playing without thinking or remembering.
That's why the built up habit, addiction, egoism, way of thinking, beliefs, values, reasoning, understanding, desires, intentions, or mind behavior pattern that is influencing the behavior, action and reaction, is conditional, where it was and is continuously being conditioned in certain way, and hence, it can be re-conditioned, or be modified and changed.
That's why the early childhood up bringing by the parents or care taker, the surrounding environment, the mind inputs, the mingling and interactions with other minds, as well as the type of educational learning and training that the selfless thinking and acting faculty has been receiving, that is influencing and conditioning its way of thinking, reasoning, understanding, desire, intention and behavior pattern in certain way, is highly important. And most minds are being conditioned in the way that is based on the idea of 'I', egoism and ignorance. The good thing is that, all that is conditional, which means all that could be modified and changed by the effort of itself, under the presence of awareness and will power, or the desire of wanting to change itself, or the yearning towards liberation to be liberated from ignorance and its by-products.
That is also why the upmost importance of the observation of dispassion, seclusion, solitude, silence and renunciation of moving away from all kinds of worldly passionate egoistic ties, connections, communications, interactions, activities, inputs and affairs for the serious yoga and/or buddhism practitioners to activate the mind purification process, to be purifying or re-conditioning the modification of the mind, effectively.
If there's no function of memory in the modification of the thinking and acting faculty to be remembering the ceaseless thought process or thought activities of all kinds of perceptions and experiences arising, changing and passing away, there will be no idea of 'I' can be existing in the form of a continuous stream of thoughts that the thinking and acting faculty can remember and be identifying as 'I'. There's no attachment or identification towards any names and forms can be happening, as there's no remembrance towards any perceived names and forms. There's not even the idea of "Who am I?" or "I don't remember who I am." Unless it's a partial memory malfunctioning where the selfless thinking and acting faculty could still remember certain things while couldn't remember some other things.
Without the function of remembrance, there's no recollection of whatever have been perceiving by the selfless function of perception, where all kinds of perceived names and forms being reflected in the modification of the mind, ceaselessly arising, changing and passing away, not to say, to be remembering the process of learning, experiencing, knowing, reasoning and understanding, where all actions and reactions are being generated autonomously and spontaneously under the influence of the existing habits or behavior pattern that was and is continuously being conditioned in certain way.
Likewise, under the function of memory, the selfless thinking and acting mind can modified or changed the built up habits, way of thinking, belief/disbelief, values, behavior pattern or the states of the mind, through certain practice or training under the presence of correct understanding and will power.
There's no egoism can be existing in such mind that is completely void of the function of memory, as there's no remembrance towards anything or any thought for the selfless thinking faculty to hold onto, to attach onto, to be identifying with, to be associating with, to be generating craving or aversion upon, to be comparing or judging upon, and to be having any expectation towards anything to be or not to be in certain way, where all these egoistic traits are based on the existence of accumulated experience, learning, knowledge, intellectual reasoning and cognitive understanding that solely depending on the function of memory to be remembering as much as possible towards all perceptions, experiences, thought process or thought activities, learning, training, knowledge, skill, belief/disbelief, values, reasoning and understanding towards the perceived names and forms.
It's due to the function of memory, there's the idea of 'I' and egoism arising from ignorance, existing in and occupying the selfless modification of the mind. It's also due to the function of memory, there's possibility of performing certain practice to be eradicating the idea of 'I' and egoism and ignorance from the selfless existence and function of the modification of the selfless thinking and acting faculty.
It's actually beneficial for the selfless thinking and acting faculty to be functioning 'normally' and 'healthily' for not being able to remember all and everything, of all kinds of conscious, half-conscious and unconscious receptions or inputs, as it could give rise to constant restless disturbance in the selfless modification of the mind, especially if under the presence of ignorance and egoism, there is egoistic attachment, identification, association and the desire of craving and aversion being generated towards all kinds of names and forms that the mind has been perceiving and remembering since the beginning of the forming of the selfless existence and function of the selfless thinking faculty. There won't be any disturbance or problem if there's no egoistic attachment, identification, association or the desire of craving and aversion being generated towards all and everything that the selfless thinking faculty could remember since the beginning of its selfless existence and function.
Most minds have very limited memory power, and would not be able to
remember all and everything exactly as it is in the last hour, not to say, since the beginning of the existence and function of
the selfless perceptive cognitive intellectual emotional thinking and acting faculty along with the forming of the selfless physical body. Although there might be some minds might be able to remember all and
everything clearly and exactly as what it was, which is also neither good nor bad, depending on the presence or absence of correct understanding or ignorance.
The function of memory is being influenced, determined and affected by the inevitable growing, decaying and aging process, and can be affected or impacted by certain illness, injury, malnutrition, imbalanced physical and mental activity and inactivity, or some other impactful factors, such as certain 'traumatic' experiences.
A highly efficient memory power of being able to remember all and everything exactly as it was, is neither good nor bad.
Short term or long term memory deficiency or malfunctioning of being unable to remember certain or many things or experiences, either partially, periodically, or completely, is also neither good nor bad.
The memory storage is what is, storing all kinds of memories of perceived names and forms, and it's not being affected by the efficiency of the function of memory or remembrance. Just as the malfunctioning of the playback function of the video camera, or the malfunctioning of the 'OPEN FILE' function of the computer, doesn't affect the recorded video clips in the memory card, or the saved data and information in the memory storage. However, the recorded video clips or the saved data and information could be corrupted due to certain malfunctioning or corruption of certain functions, regardless of whether the playback function of the video camera or the 'OPEN FILE' function of the computer is functioning properly, or not.
Similarly, the accumulated memories that were being stored in the memory storage could be corrupted due to the malfunctioning or corruption of the different functions of the selfless thinking and acting faculty, regardless of whether the selfless thinking and acting faculty can or cannot remember certain things or many things.
The good thing about having highly efficient memory power is that the selfless thinking and acting faculty can be processing and memorizing and recalling all kinds of learning and knowledge and skill training that it comes in contact with, effortlessly. Just like a high speed CPU of a computer with unlimited storage power and unlimited access to the unlimited data and information being kept in the memory storage that are available on the internet, can have high efficiency of being what it is, provided if there is battery or power available. The most advanced and efficient computer also cannot be operating, if without battery or power.
However, having a extremely high efficiency of memory power and unlimited storage capacity that can remember
all and everything with tiny little details exactly as they are, doesn't
necessarily correlate with the truth of what things were or what things are. Just as
the high speed CPU of a computer with unlimited storage power (memory power and memory storage)
and unlimited
access to the unlimited data or information (knowledge) that are available on
the internet, but not all stored and accessible data, information or knowledge
are the truth of what things are, and even the most advanced high-tech CPU is also limited, as it is being programmed (conditional way of thinking, belief/disbelief, values, practice, reasoning, understanding, desire, intention, decision making, behavior pattern, or the states of mind) by certain programmers (influential factors that are limited and conditional) for it to be functioning or not functioning in certain way (the behavior, actions and reactions).
Regardless of
whether there is high or low efficiency of memory power and memory storage capacity to be remembering what
the mind can remember as much as possible towards all its mind perception of all kinds of
names and forms, of ceaseless thoughts activities, either consciously,
half-consciously or unconsciously, the accumulated memories in the memory storage is based
on the limited mind perception of names and forms, or the limited and conditional modification of the mind, that is being limited by time, space and
causation, that is most probably functioning under the veil of ignorance, egoism,
impurities and restlessness, being conditioned by certain egoistic impure way of thinking, belief/disbelief, values and practice, where the thinking, knowledge, reasoning and understanding are not necessary correct or the truth of what things are.
Such as the recorded video clips might be displaying the images as they are, only limited to what are not being hidden behind certain objects and that are within the range of capturing depending on the camera lens dimension, but it cannot display all and everything else that are either hidden behind certain objects, or what are outside the range of capturing. And so, it's partially true, but not necessarily all the truth of what is happening at that time, even if the video clips are being recorded under extremely high definition with highest quality super clear images. Similarly, the mind perception of everything is very limited, even if the memory power is highly efficient with unlimited memory storage.
Cause and effect, or actions and consequences of actions, is still what it is, even if the selfless thinking and acting faculty cannot remember all its actions and reactions that are happening either with or without awareness, either autonomously or intentionally, under the presence or absence of correct understanding.
It could be something terribly unpleasant or disturbing, if the mind can remember all and everything as it is, where the mind is constantly restless being occupied by all the memory of all and everything, on top of the ceaseless perception of names and forms that the mind perceives in the present moment now, especially if the mind doesn't know what is non-attachment, non-identification, non-association, non-craving or non-aversion.
Such as most minds are continuously being determined, affected and disturbed by the repetitive remembrance towards certain past unpleasant, disagreeable and undesirable experiences, from time to time, and have no peace. Not to say, to be constantly remembering all that, all the time. Constantly missing and craving towards something pleasant and desirable, while being disturbed by and aversion towards something unpleasant and undesirable, due to incorrect understanding under the influence of the idea of 'I', ignorance, egoism, impurities and restlessness.
Most of the memories of perceived and processed names and forms, of directly or indirectly coming in
contact with countless objects, affairs, experiences, learning, knowledge, information,
countless mind inputs of all kinds of images, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, feelings, emotions, visualizations, movies, videos, dramas, theatre plays, shows, advertisements, talks, sermons, news portals, social medias, books, articles, fairy tales or
stories, and so on, in different timings and in different places, that the
selfless mind can remember in the form of memory, even if it was
something that the mind perceived just a few moments ago, are most
probably not exactly what it was, as the selfless function of mind perception is highly limited, not to say, on
top of the accumulated memories are a mixture of distorted or partial memories, of ceaseless thought
activities being processed under the veil of ignorance and egoism, where all kinds of inputs/information/ideas/stories/beliefs are not necessarily the truth of what things are, of wild imaginations, anticipations, projections, fantasies, wishful thinking and dreams.
One cannot reason, or debate, or argue with someone that has extremely high efficiency of memory power, that can remember everything with all tiny little details exactly as they are, while oneself doesn't really remember all and everything exactly as it is. One also cannot reason, or debate, or argue with someone who has memory malfunctioning, who is suffering from partial or complete memory deficiency where it couldn't remember some or all that it had said and done, what it had witnessed or experienced, or where it had been to, or, someone that is lost in its distorted or mixed up memories that are not what things really are, that is remembering things differently from what they really were, or remembering things that didn't happen or exist at all.
Inquire the truth of everything.
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