The Reason for Being Unable to Recall Past Lives

Because sentient beings lack the recollection of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti), they do not know the matters of causes, conditions, and karmic retribution of past and future lives; only with the recollection of past lives can one know all the causes and effects, of oneself and others, in past and future lives. Because after sentient beings die, the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) change and are no longer the original ones, and the six consciousnesses change and are no longer the original ones, all knowledge of the people, things, and affairs of past lives—everything related to oneself—is lost, and the matters of causes and effects are known even less. Because the mind consciousnesses of this life exist on the same five aggregates and are continuous with memory, when the six consciousnesses can discern the people, things, and principles of a matter, they can remember all the dharmas experienced in this life. But in the next life, it is not the original five aggregates; the six consciousnesses arise anew depending on the new five aggregates, have not experienced the past life, have no memory of the people, things, and principles of the past life, and thus cannot recall the events of past lives.

However, the manas has continued from beginningless kalpas, has experienced the people, things, and affairs of beginningless kalpas, has accumulated the habits of life after life, and corresponds with the karmic seeds of life after life. Therefore, the five aggregates of this life and the five aggregates of past lives are continuous in terms of habitual tendencies and afflictions; if one does not cultivate, and in this life newly instills some more bad habits, the habitual tendencies will become heavier and heavier. The eighth consciousness has also continued from beginningless kalpas and will never perish in future lives. Therefore, the self of this life and the self of past lives certainly have a connected relationship; they are not unrelated to each other. In our cultivation, we should think more about our own self in future lives.

The attainment of the recollection of past lives can only be achieved after cultivating to the fourth dhyāna. After cultivating to the fourth dhyāna, if one cultivates the five supernatural powers, one can obtain them as one cultivates them.