Buddhist Jātaka Tales and Oedipal Themes

 

 

 Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD

The Buddhist Jātaka tales represent a substantial collection of folklore, consisting of 547 poems. Archaeological and literary evidence suggests that these stories were compiled between the 3rd Century B.C. and the 5th Century A.D. As noted by Professor Rhys Davids, the Jātaka tales are among the oldest fables known to us. Jātaka Tales provide deep insights into the human mind, analyzing behavior through a "case method" long before modern Western psychology (Harischandra, 1998).

It is noteworthy that the Buddhist Jātaka tales explore themes of father-son conflict and the Oedipal complex (Jayatunge, 2015). These narratives explore into the complexities of familial relationships, highlighting the struggles and tensions that can arise between generations.

The Oedipus complex consists of a configuration of conscious and unconscious desires, affects (love, hate, jealousy, rivalry, admiration, guilt), fantasies, prohibitions, but also relationships and identifications between a child and his parents, mother and father. It involves two forms, positive and negative: the positive one consists of a son's incestuous desires for his mother, a hostile desire for death, and jealousy and rivalry towards his father. While the negative one consists of a homosexual desire for his father, it also includes a feeling of admiration and a feeling of rivalry, jealousy, and hostile impulses towards his mother. This Oedipus complex should evolve due to the castration threat towards its dissolution and the process of a double identification, male and female, with the parents; for the son, the male identification would be predominant, while for the daughter, the female one would be predominant. Both these identifications will form the core of the child's superego as the heir of the Oedipus complex and the castration threat.

In Totem and Taboo, Freud argued that this complex was universal, suggesting a shared and psychological blueprint for all humans, regardless of culture. The Oedipus complex is found in ancient fables and myths across many cultures.

The Oedipus complex, a concept originating from Freudian psychoanalysis, can be observed in various narratives within the Buddhist Jātaka Tales.  These tales often explore complex familial relationships and the psychological struggles of individuals, mirroring the themes of desire, conflict, and resolution found in the Oedipus complex. In several Jātaka stories, characters grapple with their relationships to parental figures, revealing deep-seated emotions and conflicts that resonate with the essence of the Oedipus complex.

In the Asilakkhana Jataka, (in Buddhist Jātaka tales), also known as Jataka 126, the narrative unfolds with the birth of a prince, whose arrival is met with foreboding predictions from a seer. The prognosticator ominously foretells that this young royal will one day become a formidable rival to his father, the reigning king. This prophecy instills a deep-seated fear in the king, prompting him to take drastic measures to isolate the prince from any potential threats to his rule. As the story progresses, the prince, driven by ambition and the desire for power, ultimately resorts to treachery, plotting to assassinate his father in a bid to seize the throne. Complicating the dynamics further, the queen, who serves as a maternal figure to the prince, becomes entangled in this web of conflict, highlighting the intricate relationships and moral dilemmas that arise from the pursuit of power and the fear of rivalry within a royal lineage.

The Asilakkhana Jataka and the story of Oedipus Rex share intriguing thematic similarities, particularly in their exploration of fate, identity, and the consequences of one's actions. In both narratives, the protagonists are confronted with prophecies that dictate their destinies, leading them to a tragic realization of their circumstances. The Asilakkhana Jataka and the story of Oedipus Rex share a fascinating historical connection. However, there is no consensus among historians that they share a common historical origin.

Ethologists and evolutionary psychologists (like Edward O. Wilson) note that in many social species, the "Oedipal" dynamic is a literal reality of survival (Wilson, 1975).  In many monkey species, young males must eventually challenge the dominant "alpha" (often their father) to gain status and reproductive access to females (De Waal, 1982). 

The Thayo Darma Jātakaya, part of the Buddhist Jātaka Tales, explores themes reminiscent of the Oedipal complex within a monkey kingdom. This story narrates a poignant tale of conflict between a father and his son, set against the backdrop of a jungle kingdom ruled by a tyrannical monkey king. This father, driven by a fear of potential threats to his authority, resorts to a brutal practice of mutilating the genitals of male infant monkeys, thereby ensuring that no rival can emerge to challenge his reign. In a further display of dominance, he hoards all the female monkeys for himself, rendering other males impotent and effectively eliminating competition (castration by the father responding to the son’s wish for the father's death).

However, one male infant monkey manages to escape this grim fate, finding refuge in a secluded part of the jungle where he is nurtured by his mother, who secretly provides for him. This bond fosters a deep emotional attachment, leading the young monkey to harbor resentment towards his father for the cruel actions taken against his kind. As he matures into a formidable adult, the son emerges from his hidden sanctuary, emboldened by his mother's love and his own desire for justice. In a climactic confrontation, he challenges his father, ultimately overcoming him in a fierce battle, and ascends to the throne as the new king, symbolizing the triumph of resilience and the quest for rightful leadership.

The Thayo Darma Jātakaya can be considered a powerful symbolic narrative of human behavior, specifically focusing on the psychology of jealousy, fear of displacement, and the destructive nature of power. While the Western Freudian model focuses on the son’s desire to displace the father, this Jātaka story expresses the projection of the son's fear of castration, which is a father’s threat as a punishment for both desires, incestuous with the mother and the death of the father.

Sri Lankan anthropologist Gananath Obeyesekere posits that within the Buddhist framework, the Oedipal conflict is frequently resolved when a son chooses to become a monk. This decision to embrace celibacy and renounce familial ties allows the son to symbolically sever his connections to his family role, effectively alleviating the rivalry with the father and the longing for the mother without resorting to physical confrontation (Obeyesekere, 1990).

In the Buddhist Jātaka Tales, the conflict between a son and his father can be reinterpreted as a form of religious virtue. This transformation highlights the potential for personal growth and moral development arising from familial rivalry, suggesting that such struggles may ultimately lead to greater spiritual understanding and enlightenment.

Buddhist Jātaka Tales reinterpret Oedipal desires as expressions of craving and influences from previous lives. These narratives illustrate how such detrimental mental states contribute to a continuous cycle of suffering and unfavorable rebirths.

The primary distinction between the Freudian Oedipal complex and its Buddhist equivalent is found in how each framework addresses the underlying conflict. Freud's theory is characterized by a tragic and inescapable cycle of violence.  In contrast, the Buddhist Jātaka narratives view conflict as an opportunity for spiritual growth and renunciation, transforming potential turmoil into a path to enlightenment.

  

 Acknowledgement: Dr. Eric Smadja, Psychiatrist-psychoanalyst (adults and couples) based in Paris, member of the Société psychanalytique de Paris, of the International Psychoanalytical Association; anthropologist, associate member of the American Anthropological Association and member of the Society for Psychological Anthropology.

 

References

De Waal, F. (1982). Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes. Jonathan Cape.

Freud, S. (1910). A Special Type of Choice of Object Made by Men. In The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XI (1910): Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis, Leonardo da Vinci and Other Works (pp. 163–176).

Freud, S. (1913/1950). Totem and Taboo: Resemblances between the psychic lives of savages and neurotics (J. Strachey, Trans.). W. W. Norton & Company.

Harischandra, D. V. J. (1998). Psychiatric Aspects of Jataka Stories.  Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Jayatunge, R. M. (2015). Psychological Aspects of Buddhist Jātaka Stories. Colombo: S. Godage.

Obeyesekere, G. (1990). The Work of Culture: Symbolic Transformation in Psychoanalysis and Anthropology. University of Chicago Press.

Rhys Davids, T. W. (1880). Buddhist Birth Stories; or, Jātaka Tales. The Oldest Collection of Folklore Extant: Being the Jātakatthavaṇṇanā. London: Trübner & Co. Gutenberg.

Wilson, E. O. (1975). Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.