Instincts 

As mentioned earlier Freud saw the id as an “instinctual drive,” which came from within the organism, even though it was excited by external stimuli. Freud saw the mind as an energy system or machine, and he saw the machine needed energy to run. The energy, he saw, was in the id. That energy he called the libido. He saw the id as the source of energy (libido), which is used up by the ego as well as the super ego. Thus, ultimately, both the ego and the super ego work for the benefit of the id. It is the id that needs pleasure and comfort as well as the need to survive. Freud observed this in the neurotic personalities he was examining. The id though blind and unable to do any thing, was seen by Freud, as the main part of the personality, the ego and the superego are like employees working for the benefit of the id, to carryout orders and protect it. They also use the energy of the id, to do the work. Freud also saw, however, that even in the normal personality both the ego and the super ego work for the well-being and preservation of the organism. Freud saw the instinctual impulse of the id as the instinct of self- preservation called eros. Later he also spoke of the “death wish,” which he called thanatos. 


As mentioned earlier, the Buddha referred to this same compulsive emotional urge as “thirst” (tanha), which Freud referred to as the id. Thirst is not something wilfully done by us, it is something that unconsciously occurs following the law of determinism. The reason why the Buddha used the term tanha to refer to this emotional urge seems to be the same as that of Freud, when he chose the term id. It was because emotion was almost a mechanical process. The Buddha saw that the “thirst” (tanha) is in three forms: kama tanha (the urge to enjoy pleasure), bhava tanha (the urge to continue being), and vibhava tanha (the urge to stop being). The first two comes under Freud’s eros and the third comes under thanatos. The Buddha also saw that normally people are carried away by emotional impulses. He did see that the emotions dominated the normal person: “By emotion the world is lead; by emotion is it dragged about; emotion is that single experience; which keeps the world enthralled.”(7) (Dhammapada). 
The Buddha saw that the emotional urge was strong and compulsive, even though it is “blind to reality” (avijja). He referred to the id and the ego of Freud as two parts of the mind: emotion (citta), and reason (mano). Yet he also saw that “Reason precedes all experience; reason dominates and creates everything.”(8) This is where the Buddha seems to differ from Freud. He does not see that the ego has to be the servant of the id, though most of the time it appears to be so. Freud too saw this when he said that the ego is in control even when it is weak. Yet he did not fully realize that because the ego activity precedes the id activity, and because the ego initiates the id activity, the ego could put an end to the id activity. This has been partly seen, however, by the modern cognitive psychologists. Yet the Buddha comprehended this fully and implemented it. 


This miscalculation of Freud lies partly in the fact that Freud saw the mind as a machine that needed energy to work, and that he thought the energy came from the id. Therefore the id is dominant, like the weak millionaire who employs others to do his work. It is true that the id has all the energy, but it is the ego that is in control of that energy, just the driver and not the engine is in control of the energy in the car. 


Freud also saw this id and its energy as an inborn instinct that has its origin within the organism, and therefore cannot be removed, but only expressed, suppressed, repressed, or sublimated. Repression is an unconscious process of forgetting the presence of the urge, out of fear or shame. Suppression is a conscious process of denial of gratification of the urge. Sublimation is to gratify the urge only within the bounds of social acceptability. The Buddha, on the other hand, saw the impulse as a process that has its origin outside, in the environment. It is the environmental stimulation that leads to the excitation of the impulse. Therefore, he called it an influx or “influence” (asava) that flows in from outside, rather than an instinct that flows out from within. 


The Buddha pointed out that the mood, temperament, or disposition of a person is essentially pure and calm in its normal state.(9) It is polluted or disturbed by adventitious pollutants; just as water is a pure substance, and it becomes impure only due to foreign matter falling into it. Therefore, just as water can be purified through filtration or distillation, the Buddha saw that the temperament can be purified and calmed through a systematic technique, because it is always trying to return to its original equilibrium.


(7)   Cittena niyati loko, cittena parikassati; cittassa eka dhammassa sabbeva vasamanva gu (dhammapada). 

(8) Mano pubbangama dhamma mano settha mano maya (dhammapada).

(9) Pabassaraŋ idaŋ bhikkhave cittaŋ agantuka upakkilesena upakkilittaŋ (Anguttara Nikaya I, VI, 1.)