VEN. PUNNAVAMSA 1
Ancient cases of Buddhist
Key noting point for examination (7)
Composed By Ven.Puavamsa
In the Jataka stories of ancient cases of Buddhist psychotherapy
there are numerous
characters who have displayed hysteria of reactions. But
pathological jealousy had been
described in the Jataka stories. Jealousy is a universal
feeling. The feeling is normal until it is
acted upon and the behavior or actions become irrational.
Jealousy does not have boundaries. It
penetrates all social positions, intellectual levels, races and
economic. Chulla Darmapala Jataka
reveals the sexual jealousy. In this story King Prathapa became
extreme angry when his queen
cuddled the infant son without taking any notice of him. The
angry King Prathapa orders to kill
the infant.
Jealousy is a complex human emotion that is provoked by a
perceived threat to an
exclusive dyadic relationship. Although the emotional experience
of jealousy may involve
varying degrees of sadness, anger, and anxiety, many
psychologists have defined it globally as
the sense of "distress" or "discomfort" experienced over a
partner's real or imagined involvement
with another. Jealousy can occur in any type of relationship,
but it is most commonly associated
with romantic relationships. Here the King Prathapa's emotion
was anger and as a result of rage
he killed his own son.
Similarly in the Jataka the dark side of the human mind is
revealed. In Suthasoma Jataka
Porisada, the cannibal shows series of antisocial personality
traits. Antisocial personality
disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by chronic
behavior that manipulates, exploits,
or violates the rights of others. This behavior is often
criminal. In this story Porisada was
reformed by Bodhisatta.
Assaka Jataka describes about a King who suffered from
pathological grief after his
queen's death. Pathological grief is an abnormal response to
loss events. Many varieties of
pathological grief have been noted in Jataka. Persons with a
pre-loss combination of both
contradictions in relational schemas about the deceased and
tendencies toward excessive control
to stifle unwanted affect will tend to have unsuccessful
processes of mourning.
Other forms of "pathological grief" occur when the original
grief is not felt; when it is
suppressed or delayed. In this story the King's emotions
associated with the loss find expression
through inappropriate channels and it has been vividly described
the Jataka. Death is a universal
phenomenon. Sujata Jataka discusses the meaning of death in
existential view. Death is the
irredeemable loss of consciousness. The existential level is
organized around life on earth itself
and social and spiritual ramifications of it, that is, the
"human condition".
People's existential issues are related to their mortality and
impermanence, their
experience of freedom of choice their sense of worthiness, and
their sense of
separation/connection with others. Work at this level is to
loosen the rigidity of the self image, to
expand the relationship to the sacred, and to integrate one's
relationship with death.
