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T 1670B Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra
Part 2: Dialogues 2.60. The Sixteen Ways of Memory
The king asked Nāgasena again, “In how many ways does memory arise?”
Nāgasena replied, “Memory arises in sixteen ways:
(1) From things done in the distant past, memory arises;
(2) From newly learned things, memory arises;
(3) From great events, memory arises;
(4) From thinking of good, memory arises;
(5) From thinking of what one suffered, memory arises;
(6) From thinking personal (things), memory arises;
(7) From diverse acts committed in the past, memory arises;
(8) From teaching somebody, memory arises;
(9) From the specific mark, memory arises;
(10) From remembering, memory arises;
(11) From consciousness, memory arises;
(12) From calculating, memory arises;
(13) From incurring debt, memory arises;
(14) From concentration, memory arises;
(15) From reading books, memory arises;
(16) From seeing again something entrusted to others, memory arises.
These are the sixteen ways that memory arises.
(1) The king asked Nāgasena, “How does memory arise from things that had taken place in the distant past?”
“The Buddha’s disciple Ananda and the upasika Jiuchoudanba have the power to remember the things that happened in their previous births. Other disciples have the power to remember the things that happened in their former births. Ananda has so many women devotees. By remembering this, memory arises.”
(2) “How does memory arise from newly learned things?”
“Just as a man who has learned accounting but later forgets it. When he sees another person doing accounts, memory arises.”
(3) “How does memory arise from great events?”
“Suppose, a prince is crowned as king, he remembers the greatness and the magnificence (of the ceremony). This is memory arising from great events.”
(4) “How does memory arise from thinking of good things?”
“Suppose, a man has been received heartily as a guest and he thinks to himself thus, ‘I was once received warmly and heartily’. This memory arises from thinking of good things.”
(5) “How does memory arise from thinking of what one has suffered?”
“When one remembers that one was beaten or was thrown into prison, memory arises.”
(6) “How does memory arise from thinking personal things?”
“If one sees a similar person or animal, he remembers his parents, family, relatives, or his domestic animals. This is memory arising from thinking.”
(7) “How does memory arise from diverse acts committed in the past?”
“When one remembers the names of people, various things in the world, different kinds of letters, material forms, good or bad smells, sweetness, or bitterness, then memory arises.”
(8) “How does memory arise from teaching somebody?”
“When a person is happy, he forgets people living in fringe areas, or he remembers some and forgets others. When he remembers the people he has forgotten, memory arises.”
(9) “How does memory arise from a specific mark?”
“People remember men, cows, and horses by their specific marks. This is memory arising from a specific mark.”
(10) “How does memory arise from remembering?”
“Just like people who suddenly forget what they have done, then by recalling it again and again, memory arises.”
(11) “How does memory arise from consciousness?”
“Those who have learned books by heart, know and remember words. This is memory arising from consciousness.”
(12) “How does memory arise from accounting?”
“One who is trained in accounting knows the method very well. This is memory arising from accounting.”
(13) “How does memory arise from incurring debt?”
“As when one has seen goods deposited nearby as a security, one remembers one’s indebtedness. This is memory arising from incurring debt.”
(14) “How does memory arise from concentration?”
“A monk with concentration of the mind can recall the things experienced by himself in the past thousands of lives. This is memory arising from concentration of the mind.”
(15) “How does memory arise from reading books?”
“The kings have very old books, when reading those books, he would refer to such a king of such a period. This is memory arising from reading books.”
(16) “How does memory arise from seeing again something entrusted to others?”
“If one has entrusted something to somebody, when he sees it again, his memory arises. This is memory arises from seeing something again after it has been entrusted to others.”
“Excellent, Nāgasena.”