Dream-Symbolism in the Sramanic Tradition- Two Psychoanalytical Studies in Jinist & Buddhist Dream Legends (An Old and Rare Book)

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Jagdish Prasad Sharma, after doing his B. A. from Agra University in 1955, studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, for his B. A. Honours and Ph. D. degrees. Before joining the Department of History of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, in 1964, where he is currently a Professor of History, he also taught at Columbia University, University of Virginia, and the American University in Washington, D. C. He is the author of a major book on Republics in Ancient India, C. 1500-500 В. С. (E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1968): and Jaina Heroes and Jain- ism (forthcoming). He has also edited a book entitled Individuals and Ideas in Modern India: Nine Interpretative Studies to be published shortly by Firma KLM Private Limited Calcutta.

Lee Siegel received his doctorate from Oxford University. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religion, University of Hawaii. His major publications are Sacred and Profane Love in Indian Traditions (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1978) and Vivisections (Goliard Press, 1973).

This work combines two interpretative studies of Śrämaņism carried out independently. Both of the authors have employed a psychoanalytical approach in their studies; the first attempt of its kind on Sramanic tradition, especially as it relates to the sphere of dream-symbolism and Jinism. The Jinist part is pronouncedly Jungian in treatment, while the other dealing with the life and legend of the Buddha is Freudian in emphasis.

There have been more exhaustive and dogmatic treatises on Śrämanism. We primarily seek to ask new questions of old material, endeavour to throw some new light on old "facts" kept alive in tradition and provide a new perspective to the study of the two most important schools of Śrämanism. We have attempted to present another kind of perspective on Jinism and Buddhism, for a complex subject like Śrämaņism requires not one, but many different specialized techniques of inquiry.

Several colleagues and friends have read and commented on parts of the manuscript. They have been most helpful and encouraging. In particular I would like to thank Drs. J. G. de Casparis, Mimi Sharma, Adrian Kuzminski, P. S. Jaini, Prithwish Neogy, Samuel Parker (for illustrations), Betty Win- cheater, Lallanji Gopal, Charles Waldrop, and Geoffrey Detmold. They are, however, in no way responsible for the views expressed, which are the authors' alone.

India attracted the attention of psychologists during the first half of this century (e. g., Hoyland 1921; Taylor 1948). During the same period, Indologists also produced works on Buddhist, Jinist, and Hindu psychologies (e. g., Rhys Davids 1914: Jain 1929: Akhilananda 1948) Psychoanalytic interpretations of Indian culture, however, began in earnest only when Dhirendra Narain's Hindu Character and G. M. Carstairs' The Twice-Born were published in 1957. They were soon followed by Philip Spratt's Hindu Culture and Personality (1966) and Erik Erikson's study on the origins of militant nonviolence, Gandhi's Truth, in 1969. No psychoanalytic study of the Srămaņic tradition exists, despite the fact that descriptive studies of Buddhist and Jinist psychology were published about half a century ago.

It is, of course, true that psychoanalytic ideas are not as familiar in India as in the West, and some readers may even be offended by them, as stated by Spratt in his preface (1966: v-vi). It appears to us that this new perspective must not remain unrepresented for it may contribute to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diversity and complexity within India.

Psychoanalytical works on India have been confined thus far to the culture and character of its dominant majority-the Hindus. We have started to take a first step toward analysing the Śrămaņic tradition along these lines through our two studies of dream-symbolism in the Jinist and Buddhist traditions.