Basic Features of Buddhist Psychology: An Overview

Though the interface between Buddhism and cognitive science emerged during the last three decades of the 20th century, as far back as 1940, the Cambridge psychologist Robert H. Thouless commented on the relevance and importance of Buddhist psychology: ‘Across the gulf of twenty-five centuries we seem to hear in the voice of the Buddha the expression of an essentially modern mind’.1 The discourses of the Buddha are very rich in their use of psychological terminology and psychological analysis, but this facet of the doctrine was badly neglected until the pioneering work of C.A.F. Rhys Davids.2 Rune Johanson’s The Psychology of Nirvana3 has also emerged as an important contribution. An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology (de Silva, first published in 1979, 4th edition in 2005), performed a useful function for those teachers involved in developing courses on Buddhist psychology and for the large numbers of ‘general readers’, who were merely interested in the topic.4 As the traditional teaching of Buddhist philosophy widened, interest in Buddhist ethics and psychology had an important impact on the new curriculum. This book adds a new component to these widening interests in Buddhist psychology including Buddhist contributions to counselling issues, for which I draw from my experience in professional counselling as well as my research into counselling issues.