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Memory is a very useful and important aspect of our lives. Our entire existence rests upon memory, from birth until death—everything we experience, hear, learn, and communicate, the names of people, and our whole past. Of course, it would be very good if we could remember our past lives, but God has purposely blocked that memory. This is because there are two kinds of memories: pleasant, happy, good ones, and unhappy, painful, disappointing ones. If we cannot master the memories of this life, how could we master those of past lives? Therefore, in Hindu and yoga philosophy, we do not pay excessive attention to past memories. The past is past; it is gone. We should focus only on the present. Consider swimming in a river—the Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Danube, or any other. We dip in and come out. We cannot dip into the same water again because that water has flowed away. New water comes, and then we can dive in again. Similarly, past life is gone; you cannot catch it back. It is gone even quicker than your present life. Therefore, do not cry for what is past. Do not grieve over it. Do not dwell on thoughts of it, whether it was very good or very bad. It is gone. When someone dies, the Jīvātmā, the flame of life, departs at great speed into the sūkṣma loka. Imagine a dark night, like on New Year's Eve (Sylvester), with lamps and sand in the sky—they are gone in an instant, and you cannot catch them again. The light of our soul, our life, travels even faster than an airplane. What remains here is only a dead body. We touch it, look at it, become unhappy, and cry, still holding onto that body. But that Jīvātmā says, "I am not there." You are looking at unreality, crying for unreality, making sorrows for unreality. That is gone; you cannot reach it again. Thus, to think about the past is a waste of time. And wasting time is a sin. Time is holy, precious, and life itself. Time is the highest, the greatest. We must go with time toward spirituality. If we achieve a certain level of consciousness, it is called Trikāldarśī. But one becomes a Trikāldarśī only after overcoming all kinds of attachment. Though we are human, know everything, and are very intelligent, we cannot renounce. We still have attachment; it is very hard to give up. Consider eating ice cream: it is tasteful, you eat it, and some remains on your fingers. The ice cream is finished, but something lingers on the fingers. That is attachment. Similarly, we know, but we cannot give up. And just licking the finger will not fill our stomach, yet that keeps us back. We humans have created a new world. There is a God-made world and a human-made world. There are natural activities and desires given by nature, by God. But we humans have lost that principle of nature, and that is why we are suffering without knowing it. Perhaps birds know the past; other animals may know the past. God has made perfect protection and security. Humans can spy on many things, but they cannot spy on thoughts or memories—like what an animal is thinking or what your partner is thinking. If you were to know what your partner is thinking, there would be a world war. So we have to overcome this. God has made very good security to keep the peace. That is why becoming Trikāldarśī is not easy, and it should not be easy. First, if you can master your dream—if you can recall a dream from six months ago—then you are progressing toward Trikāldarśī. But we shall practice and achieve it. Trikāldarśī means knowing the past, present, and future. We have forgotten the past. We are not completely aware of the present. And regarding the future, there is a wall in front of us. You can hit your head on the wall, but you cannot go through. We have to break that wall to go through. Anyone can make a wall. Even the American president wants to make a wall, but he is surprised at how high it needs to be. There are many techniques to jump up and down. Even a grass-cutting machine could be used to fly over to the other side. That kind of security—humans cannot control past, present, and future. And when this knowledge comes to you by chance... Let's say it happens. I have this glass; it is open only on one side. If it begins to leak here and there, what will happen? So what will happen when you come to know the past, present, and future? You will not sleep the whole night; you will look at your neighbor to see what he is doing. What are they cooking behind that wall? So, for a Trikāldarśī, no barrier exists—not even a big rock 100 kilometers long and thick. A Trikāldarśī can go through or see through that. Devpurījī Mahāprabhujī and Gurujī sometimes said, "Never tell your siddhi, otherwise worldly people will not let you live in peace." So sometimes you have to play a little bit stupid. When you attain Trikāldarśī, you must take great care because if you speak the truth, you will be in trouble, and if you do not speak the truth, you will also be in trouble. So always be mindful. Trikāldarśī allows you to see far; that is called the third eye of Śiva. When they created the laser, the Americans called it the Śiva eye. That laser was called the Trinetra of Śiva. So, for Trikāldarśī, you have to open the eye of the Ājñā Cakra. This does not mean physically opening an eye like this—that is another talent. About two months ago, a newspaper in India, near the Kumbh Melā we attended last year in Madhya Pradesh, reported a child born with a third eye, exactly the same size and kind, here [on the forehead]. I saved that picture. Anyhow, the third eye is memory, and that memory no one else can see. Only you know where you have hidden your treasure in your house. Humans cannot see it. Now, with technology, some instruments can detect metal, saying, "Aha, here is metal." So, well, forget the past; it is hopeless to see the future. Be happy to have memory in the present, in this life. Now, how to develop or maintain good memory? In our book "Yoga and Daylight," there are many āsanas described for developing memory. One very good practice is Śīrṣāsana (headstand), or all kinds of postures where we bend forward. This is also why we bow down when we go to the temple or to other sacred places. There are two aspects to this: one is our humbleness and surrendering—not by force, but with devotion. Surrendering means surrendering your head. You can only surrender where you trust. When you surrender, all your sorrows and fears fall away because we can only surrender where we are sure, and that is our God, our altars, our temples, our churches, etc. If you observe in a mosque in Islam, how many times do they surrender, placing their head down? It is scientific because greater blood circulation flows toward the brain. It develops humbleness and kindness. That is why when we do Śaśāṅkāsana or Śīrṣāsana, or what we call Sumeru Āsana, all our exercises involve bending forward. However, if you just bend forward and up repeatedly, like a fish swimming or dolphins leaping, it is not as beneficial because you do not give enough time for the blood to flow and circulate completely. Therefore, we should remain bent forward for a longer duration. These postures, these āsanas, develop our memory and give more energy and circulation to the five jñānendriyas (senses of perception). All five jñānendriyas are located in the upper part of the body, except one: the skin (tvacā). Tvacā means the sense of touch. It does not matter which part of your body is touched; even a mosquito bite immediately sends information to the brain because it is a jñānendriya. The other four jñānendriyas are above our neck: taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Therefore, even if you think you are old—about 60, 70, or 80 years—it is not hopeless. No, not hopeless. Circulation continues in the brain. So do not despair. You can do it. If you cannot perform Śīrṣāsana, we can replace it with similar postures that promote circulation. Through these, the entire brain, along with very fine nerves and some glands, receives fresh energy and fresh blood. Therefore, yogic postures, yoga āsanas, are more scientific than other sports, which only lead to exhaustion. As you grow older, you should do more of these postures that promote circulation. If we do not practice properly, blood flow becomes slow, leading to blockages, what we call brain hemorrhage and many other issues. Many doctors present will know better than I. As the saying goes, "The water is better when it is flowing." If water is blocked, it becomes stinky. But when a river flows, the water purifies everything. In our body, there are many rivers through which blood flows. "Sādhu to ramtā bhalā"—a sādhu (ascetic) who keeps moving is better. No one can blame you if you stay in one place too long; you develop attachment. That attachment becomes like gum, a super glue. That super glue sticks in such a way that even if one person is in Japan and another here in Hungary, that attachment memory is so stuck. Despite the distance, you see nothing else—only that one and this one. That is the super glue. Therefore, always keep moving. Now, after yoga practice—āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, relaxation—comes concentration. Concentration is a technique for developing memory. Without concentration, we are imbalanced. When driving a car, we must concentrate. Though we are relaxed, talking, and looking left and right, we are 100% alert and concentrated. Even a micro-sleep can cause an accident. Similarly, a yogī must concentrate in meditation. We have many meditation techniques, like rolling C and D. After that comes Āyurveda. Everything is Āyurveda. If you eat wrong things, it will harm you. If you eat good things, it will benefit you. It is said that almonds are very, very good for memory. Āyurveda has researched this, and it is very important. However, excess of anything is prohibited. This does not mean eating 200 grams at once; that will not reach the brain but will go through the intestines. Five to ten almonds are recommended. Five is best, but if you take more, then ten. And if you are still greedy, take one more, making eleven. You know "seven-eleven"? In America, there is a supermarket called 7-Eleven, originally open from 7 to 11. Anyhow, eleven refers to the eleven Rudras, Śiva's devotees. Take a few almonds, soak them in room-temperature water overnight. The next morning, peel them. If you have a good grinder, grind them. Otherwise, God has given us a good grinder: our teeth. Chew them thoroughly. Chew two or three almonds for at least ten minutes in your mouth. This will produce a lot of saliva that you can swallow, but keep chewing. The hormones coming from our mouth and gums develop a very good remedy for memory. After chewing these 5, 10, or 11 almonds, drink at least one cup of milk. If you do not have diabetes, add one or two spoons of honey. After six months, you will realize your memory is returning. You will remember your granny, your grandmother, how everything was. Memory will open again because almonds promote good circulation. There are other Āyurvedic herbs you can use as well. They say the brain needs fat and sweet, but in moderation. "Sweet" does not mean half a kilo of ice cream; one tablespoon is more than enough. The body will develop its own energy. Of course, avoid too much fat and too many sweets. Practice regularly and have a normal daily diet. Memory is very important. Without memory, life loses its essence. The only advantage of losing memory is no more sorrows—you might forget your bank account, your bank, even your own house and where you are going. There is a bhajan from Mahāprabhujī: "From where did you come, and where are you going?" Like "Ko'ham, Katham, Edam, Jātam, Kove, Kathā, Śivīdhyā." This is our memory, which must be brilliant. Some people have brilliant memories. Today is a Śiva festival, and all this comes from Śiva's memories. If you are devoted to Śiva, Śiva will bless you with the third eye. And the third eye means Trikāldarśī. That is why I go to sleep early. Otherwise, I would see what every bhakta is doing. Be careful. That is why people who are always with me say, "Now, Swāmījī, please go to sleep," like parents tell little children. Okay, I depend on others. But you should not depend on others. Therefore, memory is something great. And I think you should remember what I have told you. Always, Ānanda. When memory is good, concentration is good, and there is no attachment, then there is Ānanda. Ānando dohaṃ ānando ānandam brahmānandam dohaṃ ānando ānandam brahmānandam Ānando'ham ānandam brahmānandam ... Aum Sacchidānanda Aum Sacchidānanda Aum Satchitānanda Aum. Satchitānanda Aum. Satchitānanda. Ānandoham. Ānandoham. Ānandaham. Rāmātid. Ānanda. Bhagavān kī ca.