Toilet Learning is a very nice book. I'm sort of summarizing and paraphrasing the Chapter "The Freud Complex."
- Kids that Freud would describe as "anal erotics" are not holding back; they are just too young and not neurophysiologically ready to move their vowels at will.
- "It is not the anus ... -- it is the parent."(the author's words, not my paraphrase.)
Please forgive Freud and chuckle, the way we chuckle at Aristotle's claim that man has more teeth than woman.
A well-known author even opines that Aristotle must have never looked into his own wife's mouth. Please forgive the pioneers, and move on.
Jataka Stories
I am referring to the 6-volumeJataka Stories by E. B. Cowell. Buddha has told thousands of stories and even these volumes contain 547 stories.
And the story I select is not directly about toilet training. Maybe neurosis, nervousness, anti-social behavior, compulsive neatness, over-cleanliness, pleasure avoidance, self-punishing etc are too trivial for Buddha.
All I remember about that story right now is:
A king was looking out of his palace window into his court. A girl relieved herself in the crowded courtyard. The kind drew some conclusions and married her. His conclusions proved right because their son became a Universal King, who according to Buddhist beliefs, commanded the whole world.
I was shocked and amused at the same time to read Buddha mentioning such an act.
Read it and you will see.
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