Why Is a Good Memory Inferior to a Worn-Out Pen?

Memory, or rote memorization without understanding, is a function of consciousness. What is memorized has not yet permeated the manas (root consciousness), and thus the manas does not comprehend it. How can we effectively imbue the manas to make it understand, enabling recollection anytime and anywhere in the future? The method is to write continuously. Writing constitutes practical application. Writing slowly allows one to gradually permeate the manas while writing, making it easier for the manas to grasp the content.

Writing slowly is concentration; it enables focused attention, allowing the manas to digest and absorb the material. Consequently, when encountering this content later, one can understand it clearly without deliberate memorization. Content memorized deliberately without understanding is easily forgotten, unreliable, and cannot be recalled in future lifetimes. When the manas truly comprehends, one can benefit from it even in subsequent lifetimes.

Rote memorization occurs when the manas fails to understand the material being learned, relying solely on the consciousness to forcefully memorize and recite. No matter how fluently the consciousness recites, the manas remains uncomprehending. For material that the manas and consciousness genuinely understand, there is no need for memorization at all. When needed, it naturally becomes accessible and can be applied freely. Those with poor comprehension tend to favor memorization, while those with wisdom, once they understand, no longer cling to it.

The difference between the effort exerted by consciousness and that by manas is vast. The wisdom of manas is true wisdom, while the wisdom of consciousness is false wisdom.