Memory Recall Complex

Memory is one feature of mind, an adjunct. Patanjali listed it as one of the five mento-emotional operations (chitta vriti). As a filing system in the psyche, memory stands on its own but its illustration and relevance is dependent on the intellect tool. When a memory is filed, it is not filed with everything which is required for its sensible recall. Certain parts for its coherence, are part of the intellect operation. If those parts are no engaged when the recall happens, the memory will float in the mind but with no understanding of its event.

It will float like a ship without a rudder, where it does not register sensibly in the mind space. During meditation, one may observe how a memory is retrieved into the objective mind. One may also see that if it is not engaged by the intellect analysis mechanism, one cannot make sense of it. With no relevance, it will float in the mind. Then after a short time, it will disappear as it returns unattended, into the memory chamber.

In meditation, one should know how an event happens with parts of an impression which fragment so that the bare video of the circumstance is recorded, but its coherence is fragmented and enters into the intellect. If on recall that coherence is not applied to it, the memory even if it is seen in the mind, will have no relevance. It will happen without its significance being revealed.

This leads to the understanding about the lack of recall of events from previous lives. A yogi may question himself regarding why there is little or no recall of past life events, and why when seeing or perceiving many flashes of memories in the mind, many of which are not from the present body, the yogi does not have coherence.

It happens that there are recalls from past lives. The mind, the subconscious and unconscious parts of it, do flash sensual recalls of sense registered scenes, but if the intellect does not provide the supportive vocabulary and relevance, one cannot know the significance.

Since the mind has to remix and engage aspects other than the memory record itself, the coherence is only possible if the mind engages the intellect when a memory arises. If for any reason it fails to do so, the memory cannot be sensibly understood. Hence, without that integration, the memory of reincarnation, of previous lives, is not possible.