The psychology of Buddhist tantra
This book masterfully succeeds in clarifying the nature of tantric practice. In contrast to the approaches of conventional religion, tantra does not attempt to soothe the turmoil of existence with consoling promises of heaven and salvation. The tantric practitioner chooses to confront the bewildering and chaotic forces of fear, aggression, desire, and pride, and to work with them in such a way that they are channeled into creative expression, loving relationships, and wisely engaged forms of life. In order to make the processes of tantra psychologically intelligible for a contemporary reader, Rob Preece makes judicious use of the work of modern psychotherapy, forging a compelling link between a Western tradition that hearkens back to the alchemical traditions of our own past and the comparably “alchemical” strategies of Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices. In keeping with the pragmatic and therapeutic aims of both psychotherapy and Buddhist meditation, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra never loses sight of the central importance of applying these ideas to the concrete realities of day-to-day life. By illuminating the richly symbolic language of tantra through the intermediate language of psychology, The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra points to the transformative nature of tantric practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) [1]
Loving kindness: the essential Buddhist contribution to primary care
Loving kindness (metta), a traditional Buddhist concept, implies acting with compassion toward all sentient beings, with an awareness and appreciation of the natural world. The giving of metta, an integral part of Buddhist medicine, has the potential to enhance modern primary health care. Metta must be given with selflessness (saydana), compassion (karuna), and sympathetic joy (mudita). For the believer, Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha, is the Supreme Healer. His ancient but timeless message of metta is alive and well today, The Dalai Lama being it key proponent. The Buddhist system features several techniques, such as the Noble Eight-Fold-Path and the metta meditations, to keep physicians moving toward metta. One does not have to be a Buddhist to practice metta, or more humane medicine, and the notion of “tender loving care” is spreading in biomedical circles. [2]
Buddhist and western psychology: Seeking common ground
Mindfulness has been practiced to alleviate human psychological suffering for over 2,500 years, primarily in the form of mindfulness meditation. Western psychotherapy is quite new by comparison, originating in a very different time and place. Can we nonetheless expect to find parallels between an ancient Asian practice of mind training and modern Western systems of psychological treatment? Are the problems of ancient India and the modern West so different that comparing their systems of healing is misguided? Or, is there some universality to human psychology and suffering that both traditions address? How does each tradition understand suffering and its treatment? This chapter examines Buddhist psychology and Western psychotherapy side by side and considers how mindfulness itself may be seen as a common factor contributing to the efficacy of both Western psychotherapy and formal meditation practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) [3]
Nine Buddhist Consciousnesses and Four Psychological Forces: A Review
This article reviews the ancient Buddhist doctrine of consciousness and its concordance with the psychological heritage of modern science. Firstly, it introduces the nine consciousnesses of Buddhist philosophy, namely, five sensory consciousnesses, plus Mano, Manas, Alaya, and Amala consciousnesses. Secondly, it summarizes the development of the four psychological forces, i.e., Watson’s behaviorism, Freudian psychoanalysis, Jung’s unconscious, and Grof’s transpersonal psychology. Finally, it suggests that the last four consciousnesses are equivalent to the four forces, respectively. [4]
Reference
[1] Preece, R., 2006. The psychology of Buddhist tantra. Snow Lion Publications.
[2] Aung, S.K., 1996. Loving kindness: the essential Buddhist contribution to primary care. Humane health care international, 12(2), pp.E12-E12.
[3] Fulton, P.R. and Siegel, R.D., 2013. Buddhist and western psychology: Seeking common ground.
[4] Z. G. Ma, J. (2016) “Nine Buddhist Consciousnesses and Four Psychological Forces: A Review”, Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 1(5), pp. 1-15. doi: 10.9734/ARJASS/2016/29873.