Where Are Memories Stored? – Viññāṇa Dhātu

Viññāṇa dhātu represents the nāma loka. It has no spatial location. That is why we can recall memories from anywhere.

February 21, 2022; revised February 28, 2023; April 6, 2023

Nama Loka (Vinnana Dhatu) Is Different Compared to Rupa Loka!

1. A question that comes up frequently is: “Where are our memories stored?” Are they stored in the brain?

  • The Buddha could recall memories of previous births trillions of years past. See, for example, “Mahāpadāna Sutta (DN 14).” Those memories of his births in the distant past could not have been in his brain!
  • Below, we will discuss scientific evidence that the brain cannot hold our memories.
  • Then we will discuss the Buddha’s explanation of “memory storage/recall.” The brain plays a crucial role in recalling memories, but the memories are in our nāma loka (viññāṇa dhātu.)
  • We are used to thinking in terms of the rupa loka represented by the other five types of dhātu (pathavi, āpo, tejo, vāyo, ākāsa), where objects remain in specific locations. But viññāṇa dhātu has no specific location in space. We will discuss some unique properties of our nāma loka or viññāṇa dhātu. 
Recent Evidence Against the “Brain as the Mind” Hypothesis

2. As discussed in several posts, scientific findings within the past 50 years have converged into THREE investigations that point to the fact that the brain is not the “seat of consciousness.” These findings indicate that while the brain plays a crucial role in consciousness, it is NOT where our thoughts arise, i.e., the brain is not the mind! In addition, our memories are not “stored” in the brain either.

ONE: Rebirth accounts by children have been common knowledge in many Asian countries for ages. Most people in those countries were Buddhists who accepted those accounts without question. Only recently, Western countries became interested after two significant developments: Systematic studies conducted by Professor Ian Stevenson (Ref. 1) and easy access to rebirth accounts via the internet. Also, see “Evidence for Rebirth.“

TWO: Accounts of Near-Death Experiences (NDE), which happen without brain activity. Some NDE accounts are by those declared dead for periods ranging from a few minutes to many minutes. They say that “they were outside of the physical body.” They were looking down at their bodies from the ceiling! That means they saw without a brain (while in their manomaya kāya or gandhabba kāya.)

THREE: Reports of “extraordinary memory recall” by several people. They can recall the past several years in great detail, and it is unlikely that the brain could have “stored” such minute details (as in a video recorder.)

  • Let us discuss briefly the third now.
Extraordinary Memories – Impossible to be Stored in the Brain!

3. Strong evidence has emerged recently that a “complete record” of one’s past exists somewhere, just like a complete record of an event is in a videotape. These studies started with Jill Price, who contacted a team of scientists in the early 2000s about her ability to recall anything from 1974 onwards. Here is a video of her interview with Diane Sawyer on an ABC program:

  • She says she can “see” what happened on any day in the past. She does not merely recall a “summary” or the gist of what happened. She can recount the whole episode in detail. Even the date and time come out effortlessly. That is amazing!
  • @2:50 minutes: Diane Sawyer tests Jill’s ability to recall past events. She passes all tests.

4. Since then, several such individuals have been studied in detail. More details in “Recent Evidence for Unbroken Memory Records (HSAM),” “Autobiographical Memory – Preserved in Nāma Loka,” and “Where Are Memories “Stored”? – Connection to Pañcakkhandha.”

  • The brain cannot “store” that much information in such detail. Scientists are unable to explain these fantastic accounts.
  • The point is that even one such account of “detailed memory recall” (as by Jill Price above) is enough to negate the “memories in the brain” hypothesis. The American philosopher William James said, “If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove ONE crow to be white.”
Viññāṇa Dhātu is Accessible from Anywhere in Ākāsa Dhātu

5.  A mind has access to viññāṇa dhātu from anywhere.

  • That is why whether we are on Earth, go to the Moon, or even to another planetary system at the other end of the universe, we will be able to recall memories and think just like while we are on Earth.
  • The brain helps to extract memories from the nāma loka (viññāṇa dhātu) and pass them to hadaya vatthu, the seat of the mind.
  • On the other hand, the five physical senses help detect localized, dense rupa. Again, the brain plays a crucial role in that process; see “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body.” However, it is the mind that experiences all rupā and memories.
Our World – Rupa Loka and Nāma Loka

6. Our world consists of rupa loka and nāma loka. Rupa loka consists of physical rupa that we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Other humans and animals are included in one’s rupa loka. They are at specific locations in ākāsa dhātu (space.)

  • The nāma loka includes the “mental aspects” or nāma, specifically vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and vipāka viññāṇa.
  • Kamma viññāṇa (associated with dhammā ) do not strictly fall into the nāma category but are also in nāma loka (viññāṇa dhātu.) 
  • We all share the same rupa loka. However, each person has their own nāma loka, because vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāṇa are one’s own.
  • Unlike rupa (located in specific places in space), nāma in nāma loka (viññāṇa dhātu) can be recalled from anywhere in space (ākāsa dhātu.)
Nāma and Two Types of Rupa

7. The astronauts who went to the Moon could not see, hear, smell, taste, or touch anything that was not on the Moon. But they could recall their memories as if they were on Earth. That is because we can access viññāṇa dhātu from anywhere.

  • Put another way, dense (sappaṭigha) rupa (experienced by the five physical senses) are localized, but the nāma category (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāṇa) is NOT localized.
  • In addition to the dense rupā and nāma, another category combines “pure nāma” (without energy) and rupa. Those are the dhammā in “manañca paṭicca dhamme ca uppajjāti manoviññāṇaṃ” in the “Chachakka Sutta (MN 148).”
  • Vedanā, saññā, saṇkhāra, and “vipaka viññāṇa” belong to the nāma category. “Kamma viññāṇa” are dhammā (anidassana/appaṭigha rupa.)
  • In between such dense (sappaṭigha) rupa  and nāma, there is anidassana (unseen)/appaṭigha rupa (dhammā.) These dhammās are below the suddhāṭṭhaka stage and are kammic energies created by kamma viññāṇa; see “Dhammā, Kamma, Saṅkhāra, Mind – Critical Connections.”
  • Both nāma and dhammā are not localized and are in viññāṇa dhātu. See, “What are Rūpa? – Dhammā are Rūpa too!“
The Sixth Type of Rupa in Buddha Dhamma

8. As discussed below, nāma (or “thoughts with nāma“) arise when an external rupa comes into contact with an internal rupa.

  • Our thinking process always starts with an ārammaṇa that comes to a “sense door.” We discussed the five physical sense doors above.
  • The sixth sense door is the mind itself. It can become active upon receiving a “dhammā,” as we have discussed previously; see, for example, #6 in “Summary of Key Concepts About Viññāṇa and Saṅkhāra” and the two posts referred to there.
  • Dhammā (with a “long a”) are memory records (nāmagotta) with embedded kammic energies. They are kamma bija (kammic energies) that bring vipāka. The contact of such dhammā directly with the hadaya vatthu is described in the “Dukkha Sutta (SN 12.43)” and many other suttas as  “manañca paṭicca dhamme ca uppajjāti manoviññāṇaṃ.” Also, see “Chachakka Sutta – Six Types of Vipāka Viññāna.”
  • Where are such dhammā or kamma bija “stored”?
Dhammā Are in Viññāṇa Dhatu (or Nāma Loka)

9. Our world consists of six types of dhātus: pathavi, āpo, tejo, vāyo, ākāsa, and viññāṇa. 

  • We are familiar with the rupa loka associated with the first five types of dhātus. “Things” made of pathavi, āpo, tejo, and vāyo are in specific places in ākāsa dhātu or “space.”
  • The Buddha described a nāma loka associated with the viññāṇa dhātu. Nāmagotta and dhammā in the nāma loka do not have spatial locations. They can make contact with the hadaya vatthu from anywhere in space. We discussed that starting with #11 in the recent post “Summary of Key Concepts About Viññāṇa and Saṅkhāra.“
  • Let us think about that because it can provide more insights.
Difference Between “Dense Rupa” in Akasa Dhatu and “Nāmagotta/Dhammā” in Viññāṇa Dhatu

10. To experience any of the five types of “dense rupa” DIRECTLY with the five corresponding physical senses, we need to “bring them together” at the appropriate location.

  • However, we can recall any of the above experiences from anywhere. Even if you go to the Moon, you can remember past experiences (nāmagotta). Does that mean you took all those memories with you to the Moon?
  • Some scientists believe that all memories are in the brain. But despite intense efforts within the past several decades, they cannot provide any evidence.
  • Furthermore, there is an ever-increasing collection of evidence from the accounts of past lives and near-death experiences (see #2.) Even if just one of those accounts is confirmed, we can rule out the “memory storage in the brain” hypothesis.
Internal (Ajjhatta) and External (Bahiddha) Rupa

11. There are five types of rupa in the external world (bahiddha rupa): “rupa rupa” or vaṇṇa rupa, sadda rupa, gandha rupa, rasa rupa, and phoṭṭhabba rupa.

  • Five types of subtle internal rupā (ajjhatta rupa) are associated with a living being for making contact with the five types of rupa located in ākāsa dhātu. They are the five pasāda rupa of cakkhu, sota, ghāna, jivhā, and kāya.
  • In addition, as we discussed in #7, dhammās are rupa below the suddhāṭṭhaka stage with only kammic energy. They are detected directly by the seat of the mind (hadaya vatthu.)
  • Hadaya vatthu and a set of pasāda rupa arise at the beginning of a new bhava (existence.)
  • Note that the external vaṇṇa rupā are experienced (or sensed) with the internal cakkhu pasāda rupa; external sadda rupa experienced with internal sota pasāda rupa, etc.
  • Both internal and external rupā are made of the four fundamental elements (pathavi, āpo, tejo, vāyo.)
The uniqueness of the Set of Internal Rupa

12. Internal rupās are very special. They can be created only by kammic energy.

  • Materialists think thoughts (nāma) arise in the brain. But they have not found ANY evidence of that despite intensive research over the past 60-plus years.
  • How can feelings of joy or sorrow arise in inert molecules, no matter how complex they become?
  • As I discussed in the first few posts in the “Origin of Life” series, even the first cells are created by kammic energy!

13. Note that pasāda rupā are in the mental body or gandhabba. They cannot be seen even with the most powerful microscopes. They are each made of a single suddhāṭṭhaka (elementary unit of matter in Buddha Dhamma.) A suddhāṭṭhaka is a billionth times smaller than an atom in modern science.

  • The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and physical body only capture the external sensory inputs. Those signals get processed by the brain and transmitted to the mental body with the hadaya vatthu and a set of pasāda rupa.
  • Nāma (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāṇa) arise at hadaya vatthu in the mental body (gandhabba.) See “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body.” It is not necessary to learn such details. But it is necessary to understand the difference between the sensory system in the physical body (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and brain) and that in the mental body (hadaya vatthu and five pasāda rupa.) Thoughts (nāma) arise in the mental body.
Contact Between External and Internal Rupa Give Rise to Nāma (Mental Attributes)

14. Nāma arises when an external rupa comes in contact with an internal rupa. For example, when an external rupa is seen with the cakkhu pasāda rupa, cakkhu viññāṇa arises. That ” seeing sensation” is felt with vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and the overall experience is cakkhu viññāṇa. All five “physical senses” work the same way.

  • By the way, those five types of sensory experiences (cakkhu, sota, ghāna, jivhā, and kāya viññāṇa) are vipāka viññāṇa.
References

1. “Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation” by Ian Stevenson (Second Edition,1974.)

2. Related posts: “Rupa, Dhammā (Appaṭigha Rupa) and Nāmagotta (Memories) (with chart #14),” “Where Are Memories “Stored”? – Connection to Pañcakkhandha,” and “Memory Recall for Gandhabba in a Human Body.”

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