KARMIC OBSTACLES STEM FROM YOUR MEMORY
Master Jun Hong Lu: As a matter of fact, karmic obstacles stem from your memory. When a specific unhappy incident dwells in your mind, resentment, apprehension and vexation will arise and from which, karmic obstacles will be formed.
To remove karmic obstacles, don’t you think you should erase from your memory, the people you hate, the past misdeeds that have brought you deep remorse and sorrow, and the things that you did out of sheer ignorance and greed?
You have to erase the unwholesome thoughts and negative recollections from your memory. This is because memories are extremely powerful – something that we are incapable of keeping a rein on.
Think about it, isn’t it the case that things we do not wish to recall will pop up in an untimely manner. There are times when we do not wish to talk about a specific person, whom we resent, and yet, he will suddenly flash through our mind.
Conversely, you can hardly recall things that you wish to remember. This goes to show that our memories are not within our control.
To eliminate karmic obstacles, you have to first eradicate the unwholesome thoughts in your memory. You have to understand that if you let the negative memories live in your mind, you are essentially hanging on to your karmic obstacles.
Humans have far too many failings. First of all, they struggle to recollect things that they want to remember and yet, they can’t shake their mind off things that they do not want to recall.
Herein lies the problem, the moment something gets stored in your memory, it will be impossible to erase. Upon seeing something, it will be stored in one’s memory, like a computer motherboard.
This is the precise reason why one should abstain from looking at unwholesome things because they will penetrate one’s memory, making it impossible to erase.
Let me illustrate this with our six sense organs: Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and consciousness. The moment the eyes see, the ears hear, the nose smells, the tongue tastes, the body touches and the mind processes, it will penetrate right into the memory.
For example, someone gives you something to eat, the moment your tongue tastes the food, you will immediately recall, “That’s delicious and I’ve eaten it before”.
Many people catch sight of familiar shapes of the food that they once tasted in their childhood days and past memories will flood their mind. This is because as the eyes see something, the memory will be set in motion and immediately, these people will recollect how delicious it tasted.
Don’t you think these are memories that you preserved?
The moment the eyes see, the nose smells or any of your senses come in contact with something, it will be impossible to erase it from your memory. This is the precise reason why the Bodhisattva wants us to listen less, see less and think less.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 11 Chapter 35
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