About transience - Some Buddhist and psychoanalytical aspects

Abstract

In the center of buddhist thinking we find the fact of transience explicitly as a central part of the analysis of human existence, while the psychoanalytic thinking reflects transcience more implicitly. We compare a text of the zen master S. Suzuki with a text about transience written by S. Freud and point out the importance of a dialogical view point. This kind of view makes it possible to realize a deeper understanding about the dimensions of a psychology of development and the phenomena of trauma and mourning.