Why Do Infants Have Poor Memory? (Part 1)

Why Do Infants Have Poor Memory? The memory referred to here is the ability to remember and recollect, also known as impression. What is meant by an impression? "Imprint" (印) means to brand, to press with the hand onto something, or to press an object onto something, thereby leaving a mark, carving it, or imprinting it upon the mind. "Image" (像) refers to the trace or mark left behind; only after something is pressed upon and imprinted does the image emerge. This is called an impression. Impression is related to the mental factor of recollection and is connected to memory.

Impressions can be deep or shallow. A deep impression results from repeated pressing and imprinting many times over, or from a profound pressing and imprinting, leaving a distinct image. Deep and repeated imprinting upon the mind is concentration (定) – fixing steadily upon a single object without wavering – which allows for a deep impression. Memory contains both the imprint and the image; only later, when conditions arise, can the impression be recalled. The prerequisites for memory are twofold: First, there must be thorough comprehension (胜解), the ability to understand the true meaning of the experienced person, event, or object, so that it can be imprinted and form an image, enabling future recollection. The second prerequisite is concentration – repeatedly imprinting it upon the mind, deeply embedding it, to achieve a profound impression.

Infants possess little memory capacity; their memory is poor because their power of thorough comprehension is weak. In this life, they have no experience with the vast majority of things, no firsthand understanding, and thus lack the ability to compare. Additionally, their thinking faculty is extremely feeble. Consequently, they have little thorough comprehension, find it difficult to form impressions, and thus cannot retain memories. Infants' mental power is weak, and they lack concentration; they cannot fix their attention steadily. Therefore, they are unable to imprint all people, events, and objects upon their minds, resulting in poor memory. For most things, infants require repeated teaching and instruction from parents, numerous repetitions, to retain even a little memory. However, this does not apply to things infants are accustomed to and interested in, such as food, drink, toys, and so on, nor does it include their innate, inborn habits and inclinations. These congenital habits and interests are carried over from previous lives; they are inherent from birth. Secular people refer to this as instinct, an innate instinctual ability each living being possesses to adapt and survive.