Memory is mechanical

Looking at life though the memory is viewing the present through veil of past. Only when the mind is freed from this slavery does it attain the capacity of real perception. And real perception leads to real knowledge. If your vision is pure, the latent power of self- knowledge awakens within you. Your vision is freed from the past as soon as you liberate yourself from burdens of memory and focus on the present.

Never mistake memory for knowledge. Memory is just a mechanical process, just an aid to thinking. The invention of computers has shown clearly that memory is a mechanical thing. Given the appropriate knowledge... correct facts, these machines provide correct answers. There is no margin of error whatsoever. We feed our minds in the same way - with Gita, Koran, Bible, with the words of Mahavir, of Buddha, of Mohammed....

Thought born of memory is neither original nor alive. Knowledge, on the other hand, is totally different. Knowledge is not a mechanical process; it comes out of conscious awareness. And because the nature of knowledge is such, it cannot be produced by machines. Wisdom is never mechanical, but learning is. And the most stagnant of minds belongs to the so-called learned man. This type of mind provides answers to questions even before they arise. This is nothing more than a repetitive process, relying on faith rather than on initiative. Thought that is dependent on memory needs faith to stand on, and faith, in turn, is supported by repetition that depends on memory. It is a vicious circle.


Abridged from Immortal Words, Courtesy: Osho International Foundation, www.osho.com