ON THE HISTORY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF THE 'DAS-LOGthe available possible solutions... Generally speaking... the premorbid
personality ... will reveal emotional immaturity, self-centeredness, an historical
likelihood of episodic emotional disturbances in childhood or adolescence, and a
remarkable lack of solidly gratifying or naturally supportive interpersonal rela-
tionships." Similarly, Laughlin ( 1967: 741) remarks that dissociation "applies
especially to the vicissitudes of interpersonal relationships" especially in early
life and that it "follows the lines of infantile and childhood regressions."
If these notions are to be useful in understanding the 'das-log literature we
must explore them a bit further: what is the 'das-log 's problem with regard to
attaining maturity and gratifying relationships? and how does a regressive
experience help to attain what has otherwise been a failure? To get at these ques-
tions will require us first to examine the notion of ambivalence, both in Buddhist
soteriology and in psychology.
As we have already said, the 'das-log are connected with the worship of
A valokitdvara. In a prayer to the bodhisattva we learn what happen when one
recites his mantra:
The white Om radiates to the land of the gods.
It cleanses their proud character and the suffering of falling ...The green Ma radiates to the land of the asura.
It cleanses their jealous character and the suffering of fighting ...The yellow Ni radiates to the land of humans.
It cleanses their ambivalent (the-tshom) character and the suffering of
worry and indigence ...The azure Pad radiates to the land of the animals.
It cleanses their ignorant character and the suffering of stupidity ...The red Me radiates to the land of the pretas.
It cleanses their lustful character and the suffering of hunger and
thirst ...
The dark blue Hum radiates to the land of hell.
It cleanses their hateful character and the suffering of hot and cold ...
(Tshul-khrims-bzang-po, ff. 3b--4b; see also Lauf 1977: 125)The literature of this cult, then, proposes that as the constitutive or charactero-
logical flaw of gods is pride, of titans jealousy, of animals ignorance, of pretas
craving, and of hellish beings hate, the basic human flaw is doubt or ambiva-
lence. Buddhist texts proclaim that all existence is suffering. To become
attached to what is after all an illusion is spiritual suicide. Men are tom between
their desire for worldly good and comfort and their more noble spiritual nature.
Doubt or ambivalence about where their true goals lie keeps them forever in
a state of suffering. The way to resolve this is to pick out the basic fly in the