The Problem of Memory

Question: I just met a person, chatted for a while, and we exchanged contact information. Is this matter remembered in the mind consciousness, or remembered in the manas, or remembered by both? What are the differences and distinctions?

Answer: Any person, event, object, or principle that has been experienced first falls into the mind consciousness, which may or may not remember it. After the mind consciousness has remembered something, it may be able to record it in the manas, letting the manas also remember it, or it may not be recorded in the manas, and the manas fails to remember it. One possibility is that the manas is not interested; another possibility is that the time was too short, so the manas had no time to discern and remember it, resulting in an impression that is not deep.

There is also a special situation: the mind consciousness did not pay attention and did not remember, yet the manas had encountered it before and was quite familiar with it, so without the mind consciousness deliberately memorizing it, the manas remembered it by itself. Later on, even though the mind consciousness does not think about this matter, it can spontaneously and automatically arise in recollection, and one finds it strange oneself, asking oneself: Why do I keep thinking about this matter? This is the result of the manas's mindful recollection.

If a matter exists only in the mind consciousness and the manas has no impression of it, then it can no longer be recalled. Because whether or not to recall is decided by the manas as the master; it is when the manas needs to recall in order to deal with this matter that the mind consciousness arises and recollects.

Suppose it exists only in the mind consciousness—then how could the mind consciousness recall it? Does the mind consciousness arise by itself? Does it exist at every moment, instant by instant, upon all dharmas? Clearly not. Once this matter has passed, the mind consciousness disappears with regard to it. How then could it recall it afterward?

If the manas does not let the mind consciousness think, can the mind consciousness arise and then think? If the manas does not let the mind consciousness recall, can the mind consciousness arise and then recall? Neither is possible. The mind consciousness has no autonomy and cannot exist freely and continuously on its own. The premise for the mind consciousness's existence is that the manas is continually contacting sense objects. The mind consciousness cannot on its own decide how to actively arise—how could it then actively recall? He cannot become the master consciousness that takes the place of the manas.

If one can recognize the true principle that the mind consciousness exists to serve the manas, and clarify the active and passive relationship between the manas and the mind consciousness, then all dharmas become easy to handle and resolve, especially the problems of Consciousness-Only.