Q: A
person knows nothing before he is born. After birth, because of having
the brain, then there is consciousness. After a person dies, he should
also know nothing. Why is it that there is still a world of eternal
happiness for him to go?
M: Well, why do you say that you know
nothing before birth? If you didn't know anything before birth, how
did you know that you could live for nine months in your mother's
womb. Why did you not go up to the roof of the house to live for nine
months? You must have known, is that not so? (A: Yes!) If you didn't
know, how come you cried immediately after birth? You also knew that
you wanted to eat. It is not that when we are born then we have
consciousness. We have it when we were still inside. It is because of
the knowing, then we come to this world. Otherwise, we would have run
to the roof, the concrete floor or inside the house.
Before He was born, Shakyamuni Buddha already knew! Therefore, He
walked seven steps when He was born and said, Above and beneath the
heavens, I am the only Supreme. However, He forgot about it as He grew
up. It took thirty years before He woke up again. We are the same.
Before birth we have consciousness already. It is not that we know
nothing. It is after birth that we start to know nothing. If we knew
only after we were born, then we would not have forgotten the past,
present and future. However, we all forgot after we were born!
Therefore, we should say we become "knowing nothing" after birth. This
is the correct way to say it.
