Striking parallels exist between some Buddhist concepts and those of analysis. Both emphasize that mental analysis is a way of taming the passions and that it is hard to conquer powerful inner forces. Both are pre-eminently devoted to reality, and both reject moral judgments as the mode of solving life's problems. Neither system of thought supports a concept of God, and both aim to eliminate anxiety and fear. For both, basic goals are the search for knowledge and the attainment of tranquility. The features of the ritual described in this paper are the classical manifestations of the oral-sadistic impulses, which are recognized as such by leading lamas, the great meditators.