[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Psychology research

[Richard Hayes]

On Sep 4, 2010, at 6:28, "Dan Lusthaus" <vasubandhu at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Franz,
> 
> Just to let you know that I much appreciate the fact that there is at least 
> one other buddha-l-er literate in Freud.

There may be more than one. From my desk I count ten of Freud's books on my shelves, all of which I have read. 

Just to set the record straight about which of Freud's works are taught in philosophy departments, the two philosophy departments that had specialists in Freud that I have been part of (Toronto & New Mexico) each had more than one course on Freud. In both cases the courses were taught by people trained in psychoanalysis, one by a practicing analyst. At NM the professor who teaches Freud also has extensive training in cognitive psychology and neurophysiology. I have attended some of his classes and have been impressed by his command of a wide range of literature in many fields and by his ability to connect them intelligently. Eventually he will no doubt move away from the high desert to greener pastures, but for now we're fortunate to have him around. But he does provide a counterexample to Dan's observation that philosophy departments are interested only in Freud's outdated works.

Alas, my colleague knows next to nothing about abhidharma. I guess that proves Dan's point that New Mexico is a cultural backwater (with very little water).

Richard