Yogi: I could see my past lives during meditation. This obstructs me from sitting longer.

Sayadaw: The problem arises because you pay attention to concept.

Don’t go to the storyline; be aware that image is happening. Don’t pay too much attention to the image. We’re learning about nature, not concept.

Nature is the object for the vipassana meditator. If you pay attention to concept it is easy for emotion to come; then, it becomes a hindrance.

The memory is not a hindrance. You cannot erase your memory, but if wisdom is present, craving or aversion does not arise because of the memory.

We have a lot of bad memories – for example, whenever I passed by Chinatown in Yangon, I would have a lot of regret because I used to do plenty of bad things there as a youth. The mind would be very agitated arising from the memories.

One day, I checked my memories as they appeared repeatedly and discovered that they were merely images and not me. Previously, I would think that I was bad whenever the memories arose, but now the memories are just memories.

Memories cannot disappear till we die, but if we have wisdom, aversion doesn’t appear with the memories.