Buddha's teachings – human existence problem
It would not be necessary to discuss, at this point, the details of these different therapies, but it would be extremely important to go into a discussion of the fundamental psychological problem revealed through the structural hypothesis of Freud as well as the teachings of the Buddha. I see no better way to introduce this fundamental problem of human existence than to discuss the contents of the introductory sermon of the Buddha called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutra, appearing in the Samyutta Nikaya, and translated by me as "The Revolution of the Wheel of Experience."
The Buddha
"Oh disciples, two extremes are to be avoided by those who progress beyond the secular life. They are: (1) devotion to sensual pleasure, which is inferior, secular, common, immature, and futile; and (2) devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, immature, and futile.
"Avoiding these two extremes, Oh disciples, a medial way is seen by the One- Awakened-to-Reality, which opens the eyes, brings about wisdom, inner peace, super knowledge, awakening, and the imperturbable serenity, Nirvana. And what is that medial way? It is the Sublime Eightfold Way that consists of: Harmonious Perspective, Harmonious Orientation, Harmonious Speech, Harmonious Action, Harmonious Lifestyle, Harmonious Exercise, Harmonious Attention, and Harmonious Equilibrium. This is the medial way seen by the One-Awakened-to-Reality, which opens the eyes, brings knowledge, inner peace, super knowledge, awakening, and the imperturbable serenity, Nirvana.
"This, Oh Mendicants, is the Sublime Reality of Insecurity: birth is painful, aging is painful, sickness is painful, death is painful, meeting what is unpleasant is painful, parting from what is pleasant is painful, and the inability to obtain what one wants is painful. In short, the five personalized constituents of personality are painful.
"This, Oh Mendicants, is the Sublime Reality of the Origin of Pain: It is that emotional urge, which arises again and again, accompanied by delight and passion, and which takes delight now here now there. It is the urge for sensual pleasures, the urge for existence, and the urge for non-existence.
"This, Oh Mendicants, is the Sublime Reality of the Cessation of Pain: It is the dispassionate cessation of the emotional urge without remainder, free from slavery to it, never turning back to it.
"This, Oh Mendicants, is the Sublime Reality of the Way to the Cessation of Pain: It is this Sublime Eightfold Way consisting of: Harmonious Perspective, Harmonious Orientation, Harmonious Speech, Harmonious Action, Harmonious Lifestyle, Harmonious Exercise, Harmonious Attention, and Harmonious Equilibrium.”
This Sutra begins with the assertion that there are two extreme modes of living to be avoided. One is the pursuit of sensual pleasure, (Kamasukhallikanuyoga). The other extreme is self-denial and asceticism (Attakilamatanuyoga). Avoiding these two extremes, the Buddha teaches a third medial mode of living (Majjima Patipada) called the Sublime Eight-fold Way (Ariya Atthangika Magga). This third medial way begins with an awareness of reality, which is followed by a harmonious goal orientation, resulting in a new way of thinking, speaking, acting and living, which is considered to be good, pleasant, and realistic, resulting in inner peace and happiness.
This teaching of the Buddha could easily be examined in relation to the structural hypothesis of Freud. Sigmund Feud pointed to a fundamental problem of human existence, which the Buddha seems to have been aware of more than twenty-five centuries earlier.
The two extremes of the Buddha, when seen from a Freudian stand point, would clearly be the work of the id and the superego; devotion to sensual pleasure is the work of the id, and self-mortification is the work of the superego. The medial way, which begins with the Harmonious Perspective, is clearly the work of the ego. One small difference, which will be discussed in detail later, is the middle path of Freud, which was the sublimation of energy; while the middle path of the Buddha was the pursuit of tranquility. The Buddha explains this further, in the sutra, in speaking of the Fourfold Sublime Reality.
The two extremes of the Buddha, when seen from a Freudian stand point, would clearly be the work of the id and the superego; devotion to sensual pleasure is the work of the id, and self-mortification is the work of the superego. The medial way, which begins with the Harmonious Perspective, is clearly the work of the ego. One small difference, which will be discussed in detail later, is the middle path of Freud, which was the sublimation of energy; while the middle path of the Buddha was the pursuit of tranquility. The Buddha explains this further, in the sutra, in speaking of the Fourfold Sublime Reality.
Unfortunately, the sublimation of energy has left civilized man with discontent, according to Freud himself (Civilization and its Discontent, by Sigmund Freud). Modern concern about stress seems to be the obvious result. The Buddha seems to have come up with a solution, according to the above sutra, by proposing the goal of tranquility, which is confirmed by modern experts on stress management. It appears that if Freud saw that sublimation of energy had to be achieved through the pursuit of tranquility, civilized man would not be discontented. This point will be discussed in detail below.