Content
1. Introduction.
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2. Psychotherapy.
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3. Buddhist Meditation as a Psychotherapeutic method.
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4. Conclusion.
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5. References.
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1. Introduction.
Everyone tries to live a mentally and physically healty life free from chaos. The Lord Buddha
introduced meditation for it and the unification of the mind. Meditation is very helpful in
developing the mind and getting great results, therefore, it can be used as psychotherapy in
modern psychology.
The existence of Buddhism depends on meditation. The basic meaning of the word meditation
is growth. That is, growth of the mind. The function here is to set and develop it for a purpose.
Concentration or agreement is the growth of the mind. It is twofold as Samatha and Vipassana.
"bhavetiti bhavana bhaveti etayati bhavana". Making the mind and developing the mind are
also known as meditation.
Meditation is also the main way to eradicate sins." cittam sametiti samatho”. Meditation calms
the mind. There are 40 purposes in Tranquility (Samatha) meditation. It is called karmasthana
or kamatahan. These are Dasa Kasina, Dasa Asubha, Dasa Anussati, Brahma Vihara,
caturaruppa, ahara patikula sanna and catadhatuvattanaya.
There are seven purity (Sapta Visuddi) elements in the Vipassana meditation system.
1. silaya visuddhi, 2. citta visuddhi, 3. Drsthi visuddhi, 4. Kamksa
vitarana visuddhi, 5. Maggamagga gnana darsana visuddhi, 6. Pratipada gnana darsana
visuddhi, and 7. Gnana darsana visuddhi.
We can become completely mentally healthy with peace and tranquility by the meditation
which was introduced by the Lord Buddha. This practice, known as the Satipathna Sutta is a
very important regarding meditation. Its method of meditation is related to life. It has to do
with the common things we do every day, the joys and sorrows, the thoughts, and the
intellectual work. Thus, we can use Buddhist Meditation as a psychotherapeutic method.
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2. Psychotherapy.
According to Buddhism, we have some innate mental traits. Those are; 'rāga’ lust, 'dvēśa'
hatred, 'mōha' delusion. Lust can be thought of as love, likeness hatred as opposition, delusion
as fool emotions. These traits of rāga, dvēśa and mōha are present to some extent in every
person living in our society.
Worldly life is successful when these characteristics are reduced. As well as, many problems
will encountere, when these symptoms increase. "Sabbe Puthujjana Ummattaka" - That is why
the Buddha preached that all ordinary people are mentally ill in the Sela Sutta. Also, Blessed
One has mentioned forty-four mental illnesses in the Sallēkha Sutta. So, the psychotherapy is
the only one treatment for these mental illnesses.
The major facts of Psychotherapy are;
➢ Assisting the client in accessing unconscious motives, drives, and maladaptations.
➢ Assisting the client in becoming aware of emotional valences and gaining a better
means of processing and functioning without a normal affective (feeling) range.
➢ Assisting the client in determining the best methods -for their particular temperamentto make healthy choices leading them to accomplish the therapeutic goals they have
set out for themselves.
➢ Assisting the client in resolving past trauma and/abuse.
➢ Providing the client with the psychological tools they will need throughout their
lifespan as well as outside resources they can access beyond the weekly session they
spend with you.
➢ All of these five are important but must be built on a foundation of unconditional
positive regard from the therapist, an uncompromisingly safe and professional
environment, and the therapist’s deep commitment to be fully present with the client
through the process of discovery and change.
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Also, psychotherapy recognizes the lasting impact of trauma. This is when stressful events that
we experience or witness make we feel unsafe, helpless or vulnerable. We'll work with a
therapist to think about what has happened to us, not what is wrong with us. In here, the
focus is on compassion listening and understanding rather than making a diagnosis.
Psychotherapy can be a powerful, life-changing experience which can help us to improve our
mental health, overcome social or emotional challenges, and fulfil your potential. A trained
psychotherapist can support us to:
➢ express our feelings and process them in a safe and supportive relationship.
➢ gain deeper insight into the issues our face.
➢ talk about things in a confidential environment that we might not feel be able.
➢ to discuss with anyone else.
➢ find better ways to cope with feelings and fears.
➢ change the way we think and behave to improve our mental and emotional wellbeing .
➢ improve relationships in our life, including with ourselves.
➢ make sense of any clinical diagnoses we have had by understanding what has happened
to us.
➢ heal from trauma.
➢ learn to communicate better and tolerate differences in ourselves and others.
Psychotherapists use talk therapy to help you live a better, healthier life. Psychotherapy has
been shown to improve emotions and behavior, and to go along with positive changes in the
body and brain.
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3. Buddhist Meditation as a Psychotherapeutic method.
Psychiatry is the treatment of mental illness through negotiation rather than medication or
medical treatment. The Mahakashyapa Thera and the Mughal Thera were also seriously ill. On
two occasions, the Buddha visited them and instructed them to seek healing and to meditate
on bojjhaṁga to get rid of the disease.
It is clear from the Buddha's instruction that it is good to treat through negotiation than with
medication or medical treatment. There are many sutra sermons on meditation that can be
quoted from the Tripitaka. Such as; satipaṭṭhāna sutta, indriya bhāvanā sutta, madhupiṇḍika
sutta, anāpānā sati sutta, mettānisaṁsa sutta, etc. are some of them.
Accordingly, we can recognize importance of Buddhist meditation. Buddhist meditation
interventions have been integrated
in to contemporary psychotherapy. Research based
evidence supports the therapeutic use of meditation in a range of psychological ailments.
And also, the Buddhist meditation was very important teaching, especially in the field of
psychotherapy. The kamaṭahan or advice given to meditation change according to the
personality traits such as Raga, Dvesha, Moha, Vitharka, Buddhi, etc. Meditation is resolving
each problem according to the status of mind of each one.
Furthermore, neurosis is a disorder of the human brain as well as the human mind. They have
symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, often forgetfulness, staring at the hand, talking
alone, and thinking alone. It can also be identified that these diseases are caused by stress and
depression. Meditation is now recognized as a good treatment for these symptoms.
The day-to-day activities of a person with a mental illness are completely disrupted. So,
Buddhism teaches to eradicate mental illness by meditation especially in Mahasatipatthana
sutta.
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Also, Raga (attraction), Dvesha (repulsion) are the two important emotion of the mind. Raga
and Dvesha (like and dislike or love and hatred or attraction and repulsion) are the two
currents in the mind which bind a man to the Samsaric wheel of birth and death. Raga and
Dvesha are the two Doshas or faults in the mind that have brought we to this world. So, all
the emotions come under the category of Raga-Dvesha. These two currents are the Dharma
(characteristics) of the mind and not of the spirit. Pleasure and pain, exhilaration and
depression are due to Raga-Dvesha. Therefore, if Raga and Dvesha vanish from the mind,
mental problems also will disappear.
In addition to that, the Blessed one’s main concern was human suffering. Hence the goal of
Buddhist Meditation is the cessation of suffering by eradicating the cause of suffering which
are the three defilements, loba,dvesha,moha” or greed, hatred and ignorance. Also, Lord
Buddha, by his own method of insight meditation, had gained a thorough understanding of
the psychology of these three defilements and how they cause suffering. Buddha has
described how these defilements reside in the mind first in a latent or dormant level, then
when stimulated grow to reach an awakened level and finally with further growth come ou t
into the open in the active level as vocal or physical action. In the final level they may cause
suffering to the individual and society. He has described what causes the dormant state to
grow into the awakened state and then into the active harmful state. We are not conscious of
their presence in the dormant state. However, we may be made conscious of them when they
are in the awakened state. If they grow further, we may act according to their compulsion.
Thus these three defilement may be present in three states or levels; (1) dormant level
(anusaya”) (2) awakened level (”pariyutthana”) and (3) active level (vitikkama”).
(Visuddhimagga”, Y.Karunadasa, 2013).
Moreover, Meditation is the calming of the mind. so, Buddhism is a philosophy based on the
mind like psychology. Accordingly, behavior and mind in particular are also important concepts
in Buddhism. "cittena nīyati loko" The idea here is that the world is governed by the mind.
Thinking is a mental process that affects all bodily functions. When one reads the Tripitaka ,
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its psychological contents can be found almost everywhere. The monks and nuns who were
suffering from stress and tension are shown how to get rid of it due to Buddhism with great
enthusiasm and joy especially in the theragāthā and therigāthā.
In addition to that, according to the Sabbāsava Sutta, there are seven Buddhist remedies. In
this Sutta it is explained the way of eradicating mental stress which arises due to the doubt,
uncertainty, dissociation, anxiety, and internal doldrums etc. There are seven kinds of
methods introduced in Sabbāsava Sutta. Those are,
1. Dassanā Pahātabba -
By seeing
2. Saṃvarā Pahātabba -
By restraining
3. Paṭisevanā Pahātabba -
By using
4. Adhivāsanā Pahātaba -
By enduring
5. Parivajjanā Pahātabba -
By avoiding
6. Vinodanā Pahātabba -
By removing
7. Bhāvanā Pahātabba -
By developing
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4. Conclusion.
In concludingly, it is clear that the Buddhist meditation can use as a Psychotherapeutic
method. Buddhist concepts have profound influence on Western Psychotherapy. Buddhist
psychotherapy is based on the Buddhist model of the cause of mental suffering and deals with
self-knowledge, thoughts, feelings and actions to minimize the psychological distress.
Buddhist Meditation has a positive impact on mental health and it can be used to treat a wide
range of mental illnesses.
Not only that, the famous psychologists like William James, Carl Jung, and Eric Fromm saw
much of value in Buddhist philosophy and its positive impact on mental health. Also, the
modern mental health clinicians have found incomparable therapeutic efficacy in Buddhist
psychotherapy. Buddhist psychotherapy has become a major therapeutic strategy in mental
health. Also, recent research has highlighted the importance of Buddhist psychotherapy in the
treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, factitious disorders, addiction disorders, medically
unexplained symptoms and various other psychological ailments. As well as, Buddhist
psychology is informing psychotherapeutic practice in the western world.
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5. References.
1. Young-Eisendrath, P.,&Muramoto, S. (2002). Awakening and insight: Zen Buddhism and
psychotherapy. New York: Taylor & Francis.
2. Jayatunge, R.M. (2011). Eric Fromm’s views on the Buddhist Philosophy. Retrieved from
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,9950,0,0,1,0#.Up6IkR84KKI,
3. Ven. Narada.(1956). A Manual of Abhidhamma. Buddhist Missionary Society.Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
4. Jayasooriya, L. (1999). The teachings of the Buddha for the inquiring mind. Mount Lavinia,
Sri Lanka: L. Jayasooriya.
5. Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, Mūlapariyāyavagga, Mūlapaṇṇāsaka, Majjhimanikāya,
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