Buddhism and memory

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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equilibrium
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by equilibrium »

Bundokji wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:34 am My approach to the practice is trying to understand how reality is constructed, and the more i contemplate this, the more i see that memory is central to our knowledge and how we interact with the world. To me, Buddhism seem to be concerned with knowledge, evident by the four noble truths, and it is right knowledge that leads to release.

Mindfulness seem to be quite beneficial in changing the self into more positive/peaceful direction, but i don't understand how it leads to transcending Kamma.
How reality (under delusion) is created has nothing to do with escaping samsara. Same for memory.

One must understand, one is under delusion, from not knowing one is trapped within samsara created by oneself, via Kamma from mind, body and speech….. that of a conditioned existence. (Suffering here is not knowing this illusion).

As Buddhism teaches that of the 4NT, one is to experience this directly, by reaching the origination,…..hence the unconditioned, so one can see it for oneself, which reveals the truths, (hence directly experienced) so to enable one to escape and transcend samsara / kamma itself….. as one is no longer under delusion. (therefore released)

Hence one can escape / transcend from the illusion and be freed, no more cycles of birth and death ….. awakened. (Lotus flower rising above mud / water unaffected)

The reality now is not the same as the former deluded reality!
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

equilibrium wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 1:29 pm How reality (under delusion) is created has nothing to do with escaping samsara. Same for memory.
The "how" is the fourth noble truth. If the how is irrelevant, then escaping samsara is simply a cliche. On the other hand, to know how things are constructed happens through deconstruction, hence the analytical nature of Theravada.

On a more poetic note, one can contemplate the attitude of monotheism in relation to paganism. To see a statue as a useless construct regarding the question of suffering is to worship the one true god. The same analogy is utilized in Buddhism: to describe sankhara (constructs) as impermanent and suffering is to raise a question mark about their efficacy in solving the problem of suffering.

In general, constructs are suspect of being illusory, until proven otherwise. That includes memory.
One must understand, one is under delusion, from not knowing one is trapped within samsara created by oneself, via Kamma from mind, body and speech….. that of a conditioned existence. (Suffering here is not knowing this illusion).
Illusion, as a construct or a concept, does not escape the illusory nature of constructs. For example, if we take time as a construct composed of past, present and future, the present is often nominated as least illusory (or more real) by virtue of the past being gone, and the future is still yet to come. However, in the present, a painful memory can arise and cause suffering. In one sutta, the Buddha said something like that he no longer confuses past, present and future. Does that mean that in the Buddhist concept of memory, reacting to a painful memory is confusing the three, even if the painful memory arises in the present? Same thing can be said about worrying about the future, which equally happen in the present.
As Buddhism teaches that of the 4NT, one is to experience this directly, by reaching the origination,…..hence the unconditioned, so one can see it for oneself, which reveals the truths, (hence directly experienced) so to enable one to escape and transcend samsara / kamma itself….. as one is no longer under delusion. (therefore released)
How different is that from the mundane view of memory? Allocating origin through contextualizing suffering is the first step in solving any problem. For example, i feel a pain in my foot, then i look at it to see that a broken glass entered into it (origination). By removing the glass, one can be released from the suffering caused by it. Or are we talking about a different type of memory?
Hence one can escape / transcend from the illusion and be freed, no more cycles of birth and death ….. awakened. (Lotus flower rising above mud / water unaffected)

The reality now is not the same as the former deluded reality!
Suffering seems relevant to motivation or intention rather than delusion per se. If one to analyze the ten fetters, transcending them is of utility to meditative knowledge, rather than dismissing the reality of the senses as illusory, hence the term "illusion" has very specific meaning here. Also placing ignorance as the highest fetter implies that remembering past lives as the first of the three true knowledges does not necessarily mean that the ordinary function of memory is delusional. It seems that people can remember their past lives, which is a supramundane ability, knowing other dimensions of "reality" so to speak, but they are not free from the last five fetters. Their conversion seems to be replacing citta with mano as reference for knowing.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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equilibrium
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by equilibrium »

Bundokji wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 2:33 pm The "how" is the fourth noble truth. If the how is irrelevant, then escaping samsara is simply a cliche. …..
It’s not like analysing a physical light / touch on “how” it works with all of the parts, these parts are there and cannot be changed, perhaps altered through time….. but rather it is what it is….. all part of cause and effects ….. and the Buddha reveals the hidden “condition”….. furthermore, have you considered the “moral, concentration and wisdom“ aspect of the teachings and how this relates to your idea and does it fit and why?

Perhaps knowing “how” things work will not be enough to escape, rather, seeing the “condition” does?
Illusion, as a construct or a concept, does not escape the illusory nature of constructs. For example, if we take time as a construct composed of past, present and future, …..
Illusion is the construct….. how else would there be delusion and an escape from it?

The past is the past, gone and history….. either they are good or bad doesn’t matter, only brings back memories ….. future is yet to come, so why waste time speculating. ….. where now is the most powerful in the here and now. ….. opportunity to escape the illusion.

Time is conditioned and the Buddha knew this….. it isn’t real as he knows that dimension which is beyond time, birth and death….. deathless.
How different is that from the mundane view of memory? Allocating origin through contextualizing suffering is the first step in solving any problem. For example, i feel a pain in my foot, then i look at it to see that a broken glass entered into it (origination). By removing the glass, one can be released from the suffering caused by it. Or are we talking about a different type of memory?
Again, (origination) here is merely the source, not the same as that “origination to be reached” (the core) which reveals the “conditioned” and the “unconditioned”…..(unborn)
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

equilibrium wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 6:36 pm It’s not like analysing a physical light / touch on “how” it works with all of the parts, these parts are there and cannot be changed, perhaps altered through time….. but rather it is what it is….. all part of cause and effects ….. and the Buddha reveals the hidden “condition”….. furthermore, have you considered the “moral, concentration and wisdom“ aspect of the teachings and how this relates to your idea and does it fit and why?

Perhaps knowing “how” things work will not be enough to escape, rather, seeing the “condition” does?
The two truths operate in parallel: Dukkha and its condition, and Nirodha/sukha and its condition/path. What is described as "hidden" can be simply a reference to ambiguity, or using different terms in reference to each truth. For example: cause vs condition, or mano vs citta, or kaya vs rupa ...etc.

This thread is an attempt to evaluate the applicability of this to memory, which also include two types: one life memory, which is relevant to spatial awareness or time and space as commonly known, and rebirth memory which transcends the limitations of spatial awareness/knowledge that is bound by birth and death. The question is: what is the applicability of the transcendent type of memory to the practice?

As i mentioned in a previous post: in worldly affairs, we can simply rely on each other to fill gaps in our knowledge through depending on each others memory. For example, if you know the path from point A to point B, and your memory is intact in relation to it, then i can simply rely on your verbal descriptions to fill the gaps in my knowledge and reach the destination. I can't help but wonder: how the other type of memory is different?

Not all ariyas possess psychic powers. Take Ven. Sariputta as an example: by virtue of being an arahant, the only supramundane knowledge we can be sure that he possesses is āsavakkhaya. As far as i know, there are no records of him having other supramundane abilities including remembering past lives. Probably, the records we have about his previous lives are mentioned by other ariyas who possessed such psychic powers in relation to his kammic history. As with the more mundane tales we tell each other in relation to worldly issues, gaps can be filled by relying on another, so what is the utility of memory in the practice?
Illusion is the construct….. how else would there be delusion and an escape from it?

The past is the past, gone and history….. either they are good or bad doesn’t matter, only brings back memories ….. future is yet to come, so why waste time speculating. ….. where now is the most powerful in the here and now. ….. opportunity to escape the illusion.

Time is conditioned and the Buddha knew this….. it isn’t real as he knows that dimension which is beyond time, birth and death….. deathless.
What constructs have in common with the deathless of the unconditioned is that both are not-self. If not-self is the highest truth in Buddha dhamma, then what is the utility of making distinctions between illusion and real? or between time and the timeless?

Such distinctions, it seems to me, are driven by the belief that realms beyond sensuality are superior, but it is within the implications of not-self or emptiness to make such distinctions ultimately void. It is no wonder that some respectable scholars reached the conclusion that samsara and nibbana are the same thing, or as with Ven. Sariputta, he had detached attitude to the jhanic attainments due to the meditative "abiding in voidness" (suññata-vihara) which the Venerable Sariputta cultivated. As such, the quality of insight seems to be devoid of such distinctions.

Again, (origination) here is merely the source, not the same as that “origination to be reached” (the core) which reveals the “conditioned” and the “unconditioned”…..(unborn)
Why the source is not god? or why talking about a source is hiding in ambiguity?

One look at the stanza that Ven. Assaji uttered to the the Buddha's chief disciple sounds as ambiguous as the idea of god, except that the later is more commonly used:
"Of all those things that from a cause arise,
Tathagata the cause thereof has told;
And how they cease to be, that too he tells,
This is the doctrine of the Great Recluse."
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by equilibrium »

Bundokji wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 10:06 pm The two truths operate in parallel: Dukkha and its condition, and Nirodha/sukha and its condition/path. What is described as "hidden" can be simply a reference to ambiguity, or using different terms in reference to each truth. For example: cause vs condition, or mano vs citta, or kaya vs rupa ...etc.
The Buddha taught one truth and that is the taste of Nibbana. (4NT)

The word “hidden” is related to the condition itself ….. hence “hidden condition”….. because it isn’t obvious hence the truth reveals this.
This thread is an attempt to evaluate the applicability of this to memory, which also include two types: one life memory, which is relevant to spatial awareness or time and space as commonly known, and rebirth memory which transcends the limitations of spatial awareness/knowledge that is bound by birth and death. The question is: what is the applicability of the transcendent type of memory to the practice?
Interesting how you label them as “transcendent type of memory” but could understand why but even if you know all of your previous lives, it doesn’t get you out of samsara does it? …. it takes right knowledge leading to right release…..not any type of knowledge, or rather this type of specific “transcendent memory”.
What constructs have in common with the deathless of the unconditioned is that both are not-self. If not-self is the highest truth in Buddha dhamma, then what is the utility of making distinctions between illusion and real? or between time and the timeless?
There’s a difference between them because “not-self” is a realisation, part of the 4NT that reveals the truth. Saying not-self and knowing not-self are not the same thing here and is the dividing line between delusion and non-delusion. One has right knowledge leading to right release whereas the other doesn’t.

Illusion and real is the difference between trapped in samsara and awakened.
Why the source is not god? or why talking about a source is hiding in ambiguity?
Again, it’s more of the reveal of the “condition”.
Words here do little justice.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

equilibrium wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 1:17 pm The Buddha taught one truth and that is the taste of Nibbana. (4NT)

The word “hidden” is related to the condition itself ….. hence “hidden condition”….. because it isn’t obvious hence the truth reveals this.
The Buddha taught four noble truths of which nibbana is one. What makes nibbana "the truth" is desirability, especially when contrasted with the first two noble truths: suffering and its origin. How different is that from Brahmanism? Brahma or God is hidden from the world, but if the ambiguities of existence can be traced back to him, then we can be contented that not everything is within our control and let go of unnecessary suffering, only if. So, why it is not the same logic turned upon itself is not clear. To avoid such accusations, reference to historical events becomes necessary: it happened that the historical Buddha emerged when Brahmanism was dominant, hence any actions by the noble sangha that might resemble traces of Brahmanism must be systematically dismissed.

Here, once again, Ven. Sariputta comes to aid: any apparent crossing with Brahmanism is a misunderstanding, based on confusing appearances with what is hidden:
We are told in the Commentary to the Nava Sutta (Sutta-Nipata), and also in the Commentary to v. 392 of the Dhammapada, that whenever the Venerable Sariputta lived in the same monastery as the Elder Assaji, he always went to pay obeisance to him immediately after having done so to the Blessed One. This he did out of reverence, thinking: "This venerable one was my first teacher. It was through him that I came to know the Buddha's Dispensation." And when the Elder Assaji lived in another monastery, the Venerable Sariputta used to face the direction in which the Elder Assaji was living, and to pay homage to him by touching the ground at five places (with the head, hands and feet), and saluting with joined palms.

But this led to misunderstanding, for when other monks saw it they said: "After becoming a Chief Disciple, Sariputta still worships the heavenly quarters! Even today he cannot give up his brahmanical views!" Hearing these remarks, the Blessed One said: "It is not so, bhikkhus. Sariputta does not worship the heavenly quarters. He salutes him through whom he came to know the Dhamma. It is him he salutes, worships and reveres as his teacher. Sariputta is one who gives devout respect to his teacher." It was then that the Master preached to the monks assembled there the Nava Sutta,[9] which starts with the words:

"As gods their homage pay to Indra,
So should a man give reverence to him
From whom he learned the Dhamma."
If the Tathāgata is defined as "one who has thus gone", and if we were to apply this in time, then seeing or knowing the "hidden condition" and talking about it accurately/reliably has to be after extinguishment, which is not too different from the view of Brahmanism. If you ask most people who follow this line of thought, they would tell you that god (as a hidden cause/condition) can be known/seen after one is dead, in the afterlife.
Interesting how you label them as “transcendent type of memory” but could understand why but even if you know all of your previous lives, it doesn’t get you out of samsara does it? …. it takes right knowledge leading to right release…..not any type of knowledge, or rather this type of specific “transcendent memory”.
I label them as "transcendent type of memory" because it is by definition sort of thing. If mundane/ordinary memory is bound by birth and death, then the transcendent or supramundane quality of remembering past lives is through overcoming such limitations. And you are right: the utility of such knowledge is far from clear when it comes to insight or freedom from suffering as per DN1. One could imagine that if the majority of people possessed such power as remembering this past lives, they would behave, but how can we know for sure? In the suttas, there are devas who have more direct knowledge of rebirth that the average human, and yet, they can do all sorts of unskillful actions. On other instances, not remembering past lives is presented as a deficiency, as with the case of Baka.

There’s a difference between them because “not-self” is a realisation, part of the 4NT that reveals the truth. Saying not-self and knowing not-self are not the same thing here and is the dividing line between delusion and non-delusion. One has right knowledge leading to right release whereas the other doesn’t.

Illusion and real is the difference between trapped in samsara and awakened.
I wish things were as simple as you are presenting them. The implication of not-self is far reaching in relation to hierarchy and its applicability to meaning and truth. Again, the last five fetters imply that the Buddha dhamma is more inline with virtue, wisdom and concentration, but they are equally void, and as with Brahmanism, earth seems to be the most democratic substance of all. A down to earth approach to the differences between ordinary causality (or memory) and supramundane knowledge would show that the later is not the ultimate by virtue of being better.
Once the Venerable Anuruddha went to see the Venerable Sariputta. When they had exchanged courteous greetings he sat down and said to the Venerable Sariputta: "Friend Sariputta, with the divine eye that is purified, transcending human ken, I can see the thousandfold world-system. Firm is my energy, unremitting; my mindfulness is alert and unconfused; the body is tranquil and unperturbed; my mind is concentrated and one-pointed. And yet my mind is not freed from cankers, not freed from clinging."

"Friend Anuruddha," said the Venerable Sariputta, "that you think thus of your divine eye, this is conceit in you. That you think thus of your firm energy, your alert mindfulness, your unperturbed body and your concentrated mind, this is restlessness in you. That you think of your mind not being freed from the cankers, this is worrying[16] in you. It will be good, indeed, if the Venerable Anuruddha, abandoning these three states of mind and paying no attention to them, will direct the mind to the Deathless Element."
With some sympathy, just imagine someone who manage to break away from the ordinary: he would most likely view people as stupid, running around in circles, not able to see their own tragedy, going nowhere.
Again, it’s more of the reveal of the “condition”.
Words here do little justice.
The ability to use words is what the wise and the fool have in common. If the world is largely occupied by fools, then justice would consist of eliminating ambiguities as best as possible, rather than adding to them.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by equilibrium »

Bundokji wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 2:36 pm
….. How different is that from Brahmanism? Brahma or God is hidden from the world, but if the ambiguities of existence can be traced back to him, then we can be contented that not everything is within our control and let go of unnecessary suffering, only if. So, why it is not the same logic turned upon itself is not clear…..
You could compare for the entire life and get no answers, nor will it release you from samsara ….. reminds me of the “poison arrow” and “crossing over the floods” !
If the Tathāgata is defined as "one who has thus gone", and if we were to apply this in time, then seeing or knowing the "hidden condition" and talking about it accurately/reliably has to be after extinguishment, which is not too different from the view of Brahmanism. If you ask most people who follow this line of thought, they would tell you that god (as a hidden cause/condition) can be known/seen after one is dead, in the afterlife.
Well, l guess one has a choice between “here and now” and at death ….. to find out the truth. ….. why wait until death?

Furthermore, what exactly is death anyway?…. and what exactly is “god" ?

….. the sage is not born, how can it die?
I wish things were as simple as you are presenting them. The implication of not-self is far reaching in relation to hierarchy and its applicability to meaning and truth. Again, the last five fetters imply that the Buddha dhamma is more inline with virtue, wisdom and concentration, but they are equally void, …..
Depends on your definition and understanding of the word “void” ?
….. is it one of speculation / assumptions or one with the truth? ….. two completely different things.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

equilibrium wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 4:27 pm You could compare for the entire life and get no answers, nor will it release you from samsara ….. reminds me of the “poison arrow” and “crossing over the floods” !
How do you know? The idea of gradual training depends on this very notion, that little by little, you reach the goal. Until you do, you lack certainty, so nothing new under the sun.
Well, l guess one has a choice between “here and now” and at death ….. to find out the truth. ….. why wait until death?

Furthermore, what exactly is death anyway?…. and what exactly is “god" ?
Why one should wait until liberation to know the truth, which potentially takes many life times, and death after death. One death seems more convenient and plausible than aeons in rebirth and practice.

What is death? death is when one is well gone, then seeing the cause. Again, what is new under the sun?
….. the sage is not born, how can it die?
So is god, i ve heard.
Depends on your definition and understanding of the word “void” ?
….. is it one of speculation / assumptions or one with the truth? ….. two completely different things.
Void seems to be a good refuge for those who are inclined to "avoid". It is of slippery nature, and conducive to proliferations of a certain kind. Take the concept of not-self as an example, which is quite slippery, resulting in endless speculations of what self is to be negated.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

How best to understand the relationship between death and the loss of memory in the Buddha's teachings?

It seems the norm that in the human realm, we lose memory of past lives. Beings who are born spontaneously for example, do not experience loss of memory. Also in the depictions of the hell realm, memory of past life is a requirement for interrogations by Yama to be meaningful.

What are the conditions for this type of memory loss among humans. As a side note, Ajahn Sona said once that this phenomena is due to the fact that humans spend nine months in the mother womb, and the trauma of human birth leads to such memory loss. I wonder if there are other explanations of this phenomena.

As a side note, and in my language, the word "human" is linguistically connected to the act of forgetting, so "forgetting" seems to be essential to what it means to be human from that perspective.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Post by sunnat »

The degree of remaining birth trauma depends on acquired tendencies in relation to pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sense organ impressions. The more letting go is hampered by events, the more trauma remains and the more trauma remains, the more it is forgotten as the acquired tendency to ignore asserts itself.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta »

Bundokji wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:36 am memory plays central role, ...
:thumbsup:

Bundokji wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:36 am the term "memory" has not been explicitly mentioned or included in the teachings.

Why?
Just an example of an accustomed glitch in English translations of even very fundamental teachings.






  • from Uncommon Wisdom
    Life and Teachings of Ajaan Paññāvaḍḍho (Tan Paññā)

    https://forestdhamma.org/ebooks/english ... Wisdom.pdf
    ... The role memory played in perception was crucial—that appeared obvious to him. He was puzzled why English translations of the Pāli texts never mentioned memory. When he read Thai language translations of the same Pāli texts, the mental aggregate saññā was clearly referred to as memory. In English translations, the same word was invariably rendered as “perception.” Although he saw the general reasoning behind that interpretation, he believed it overlooked the specific function of memory in the overall picture of perception. The true meaning of saññākkhandha would be much better served by the translation “aggregate of memory.” ...

    In general, Tan Paññā viewed many of the widely accepted translations of Pāli terms as artifacts handed down from early twentieth century scholars who pioneered the translation of Pāli texts into Western languages.
Using the phrase “aggregate of memory” is much better than "aggregate of perception", imo.
𝓑𝓾𝓭𝓭𝓱𝓪 𝓗𝓪𝓭 𝓤𝓷𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓿𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽
  • Iᴅᴇᴀ ᴏꜰ Sᴏᴜʟ ɪs Oᴜᴛᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴ Uᴛᴛᴇʀʟʏ Fᴏᴏʟɪsʜ Vɪᴇᴡ
    V. Nanananda

𝓐𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓽ā 𝓜𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓘𝓼
  • Nᴏ sᴜᴄʜ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀs ᴀ Sᴇʟғ, Sᴏᴜʟ, Eɢᴏ, Sᴘɪʀɪᴛ, ᴏʀ Āᴛᴍᴀɴ
    V. Buddhādasa
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 5:44 pm
  • from Uncommon Wisdom
    Life and Teachings of Ajaan Paññāvaḍḍho (Tan Paññā)

    https://forestdhamma.org/ebooks/english ... Wisdom.pdf
    ... The role memory played in perception was crucial—that appeared obvious to him. He was puzzled why English translations of the Pāli texts never mentioned memory. When he read Thai language translations of the same Pāli texts, the mental aggregate saññā was clearly referred to as memory. In English translations, the same word was invariably rendered as “perception.” Although he saw the general reasoning behind that interpretation, he believed it overlooked the specific function of memory in the overall picture of perception. The true meaning of saññākkhandha would be much better served by the translation “aggregate of memory.” ...

    In general, Tan Paññā viewed many of the widely accepted translations of Pāli terms as artifacts handed down from early twentieth century scholars who pioneered the translation of Pāli texts into Western languages.
Using the phrase “aggregate of memory” is much better than "aggregate of perception", imo.
Thank you for your input. It triggered thoughts about the perception of the mystical (meaning), and its relationship to power and the vertical.

As to the relationship to the mystical, i think Ludwig Wittgenstein explains it eloquently:
To view the world sub specie aeterni is to view it as a whole - a limited whole. Feeling the world as a limited whole - it is this that is mystical.”
The relationship to power and the vertical is more interesting. It is akin to the debate between "scientists" and "flat earthers" as to the nature of earth through reference to the vertical. To be "on top of things" has the connotation of "power". It is no wonder that "missionary" has both sexual and religious connotations. As a sexual connotation, men are on top. As a religious connotation, it is the deluded converting the deluded.

The whole thing is beautifully portrayed in Ud 6.4.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

The closest a Buddhist term can get to the modern concept of memory seems to be sajjhāya, which means repetition. In Dhammapada, it is linked to the term manta, which can be understood as orality, and repetition as a way of learning.
Asajjhayamala manta
anutthanamala ghara
malam vanaassa kosajjam
pamado rakkhato malam.
Strangely, when we moved from orality to literacy, it became plausible to translate manta as text or scriptures:
Non-repetition is the bane of scriptures; neglect is the bane of a home; slovenliness is the bane of personal appearance, and heedlessness is the bane of a guard.
How can we explain the movement from orality to literacy, with finding the repetitions in the written form of the sutta boring? Also if the dhamma has the quality of freshness, one can assume that boredom is a sort of a modern disease. Maybe sotapannas are capable of hearing the freshness of mantas, transcending boredom.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
Bundokji
Posts: 6494
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:57 pm

Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

Does anyone know how the term sati converges in each of the following practices:

1- pubbe-nivāsanussat
2- ānussati
3- Ānāpānasati
4- Satipaṭṭhāna
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
Bundokji
Posts: 6494
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:57 pm

Re: Buddhism and memory

Post by Bundokji »

When i contemplate the difference between the materialistic view of memory as "storage", and the law of kamma as a continuum between intentions and outcomes, i do not see the later as superior in terms of explanatory power.

A major shortcoming of the storage theory is that it is unclear where or how the memories or information gets stored. If the law of kamma provides a more fluid alternative in the sense that the interactive between kamma and vipaka resembles a catch-22 kind of situation where what is perceived as "memories" cannot be accurately located or stored, then what is it that makes kamma a better theory considering that the exact workings of kamma cannot be comprehended (as with the storage theory)?

From the above perspective, the law of kamma would be nothing but moralizing the workings of memory, where good and evil actions eventually catch up with the good and evil doer - without being stored in a certain location, but rather manifest in a certain location.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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