The seemingly two different and distinct fields integrate to provide a meaningful journey about the human mind. These two fields provide us an insight into the existence of human thinking and behaviour. Psychology is a scientific field that intends to study human thought and behaviour. Buddhism on the other hand, deeply dives into understanding the psychological nature of human minds and has developed many treatment methodologies. Psychology has its origin in the Western world while Buddhism has its origin in the Eastern world, both have a greater analysis of the human mind which is multifaceted and sophisticated. Though Buddhism is a religion that has been preached and practised over the years, it has so many things that either overlap or remain common.
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This article tries to explore and understand certain aspects of Psychology and its connection with Buddhism. It would explore the preachings of Buddhism that are in synchronization with the field of Psychology.
View of the human mind
We all know life and the simplest teachings of Buddha since our childhood. Born in a royal family, Prince Buddha couldn’t tolerate the sights of illness and suffering and left the throne at a very young age. From then on, the life goal of Buddha was to find the cause of all these sufferings and find a way out to come of all these sufferings. Through his journey simply and humbly, he learnt the answers to all his questions from learned scholars, and from the experienced philosophers of various religions, he found a way through which he attained enlightenment. All of Buddha’s teachings are entitled under three major baskets. Of the three, the third one talks about Psychology, Philosophy and ethics which is known as Abhidhamma Pitaka. Buddhism views the whole word as a manifestation of the human mind. It believes that all the phenomena of the world arise from the mind.
The Four Noble Truths
Of all that Buddha preached, the four Noble Truths have been the lesson regarding the individual’s life. The four Noble Truths include:
- Duhkha
- Dukkha- Samudaya
- Duhkha-nirodha
- Duhkha-nirodha-marga
These were the four Noble Truths that Buddha teaches us regarding the sufferings people go through. The first one is Duhkha- every human life is embodied with suffering. Dukkha-Samudaya tells us that there is a cause for suffering – which mostly is because of Attachment.
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The third Noble Truth is Dukkha-Nirodha means the cessation of suffering. It’s otherwise called Nirvana- a state where individuals get off from all the attachments or clingings held so far which mostly includes our greed, despair, negative thoughts and attitudes. Simply put, it means there is always an end to all the suffering. The fourth Noble Truth is Duhkha-nirodha-marga which means there is a path to reach a misery-free state.
Stories and Buddhism
Buddha or Buddhism always believed that the key to all suffering humans hold onto is because of the human mind. He felt that the main way to deal with those was not always through physical medications. It can heal physical ailments but not psychological sufferings. So he said that the mind is always a beautiful place- what you put in eventually grows. He used stories or allegories as a means of intervention to tell people about what the human mind is, what it’s capable of, what not, what should and shouldn’t be done etc.
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Various ways to purify the mind
Like modern medicines, Buddhism suggests certain ways to heal ourselves from suffering and problems or issues. The various ways that are similar between Buddhism and Psychology will be listed further.
The Eightfold path
The final truth that talks about revelation or liberation is through the following of the eightfold path. This includes:
- Right Action or conduct- engaging only in righteous actions while abstaining from five major vows of resisting killing, stealing, sensuality, lying and intoxication
- Right Concentration- one who guides his life freed from all the passions, attachments and evil thoughts and actions.
- Right View- emphasizing the understanding that the world is impermanent, imperfect and insubstantial.
- Right Effort- taking effort to have control over actions done by oneself and also develop good mental health
- Right Resolve or aspiration- having a true desire to come out of suffering.
- Right Livelihood- living most honestly without hurting anyone in the world
- Right Mindfulness- having a richer awareness of oneself
- Right Speech- refraining from not uttering
Meditation
The first of many things that remains in common ground is the practice of meditation. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that involves focusing on the moment that individuals are in. To be in the present means to know, acknowledge and do things from being here. It’s more like a here-and-now concept. This helps individuals promote self-awareness, regulate their emotions and reduce stress and the symptoms associated with them.
Role of Compassion
Buddhism has a strong connection with Positive Psychology. It emphasizes the practices of compassion and altruism. Compassion is the human quality of having an understanding of others’ sufferings and having a positive tendency to help them. Altruism is the quality of having unselfish concern for others without expecting anything in return. The practice of Compassion and Altruism enhances an individual’s positive emotions and good interpersonal and social connections.
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Buddhism and various psychotherapies
Buddhism emphasized Mindfulness which led to the development of certain techniques like Mindfulness-based stress reduction and dialectical behavioral therapy. Gestalt therapy focuses on the view in a more holistic form rather than fragments which echoes the eightfold path of Right Mindfulness and Right Understanding. The collective wisdom forms the bridge between Buddhism and Psychology. This unravels the complexities of human thoughts and behaviour. This shared journey converges at a point that leads to a journey of inner peace and psychological well-being. Buddhism is all about an individual focusing on oneself and one’s well-being.
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