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Chinese intellectuals started to engage in Buddhist psychology in the early 20th century, a time when Western culture was greatly influencing the country. Taixu criticized Western psychology and proposed his Buddhist psychology. He proposed a tripartite psychology based on Buddhist doctrine: psychology on affection (qing 情); psychology on reflection (xiang 想); and psychology on wisdom (zhi 智). Perceiving Western psychology as lacking in both theoretical depth and breadth, he specifically criticized behaviorism. He integrated the interpretation of “sense faculties” (indriya) from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, thereby reconstructing an Ideal Behavioral Science, a philosophical system that centers on behavior and encompasses all aspects of life. This paper argues that Taixu’s critique of Western psychology and his construction of Buddhist psychology responded to the ideological trends of his era. In Taixu’s conceptual system, Buddhist psychology was part of his theory on “Buddhism for human life” (rensheng fojiao 人生佛教), serving not only to explain the psychological state of human but also to guide cultivation and lead people to enlightenment, bearing practical significance. Taixu’s study of worldly knowledge, including psychology, attempts to comprehensively construct a modern Buddhist system that integrates Buddhist Dharma and secular learning.

Chinese intellectuals started to engage in Buddhist psychology in the early 20th century, a time when Western culture was greatly influencing the country. Taixu criticized Western psychology and proposed his Buddhist psychology. He proposed a tripartite psychology based on Buddhist doctrine: psychology on affection (qing 情); psychology on reflection (xiang 想); and psychology on wisdom (zhi 智). Perceiving Western psychology as lacking in both theoretical depth and breadth, he specifically criticized behaviorism. He integrated the interpretation of "sense faculties" (indriya) from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, thereby reconstructing an Ideal Behavioral Science, a philosophical system that centers on behavior and encompasses all aspects of life. This paper argues that Taixu's critique of Western psychology and his construction of Buddhist psychology responded to the ideological trends of his era. In Taixu's conceptual system, Buddhist psychology was part of his theory on "Buddhism for human life" (rensheng fojiao 人生佛教), serving not only to explain the psychological state of human but also to guide cultivation and lead people to enlightenment, bearing practical significance. Taixu's study of worldly knowledge, including psychology, attempts to comprehensively construct a modern Buddhist system that integrates Buddhist Dharma and secular learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the potential role of the “brahmaviharas,” a Buddhist concept which emphasizes certain spiritual dimensions and have been interlinked with dance movement therapy combined with other expressive arts, in responding effectively to the unpredictable life changes during pandemic situations such as the COVID-19. A multiple therapeutic–expressive–creative movement sequence model and meditation practices were collaboratively developed by movement therapist Tripura Kashyap and expressive arts therapy practitioner Anubha Doshi to address each of the brahmaviharas: loving–kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), sympathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). This article specifically reveals how the embodiment of concepts from Buddhism through movement can help in concretizing and embedding meditative practices in the mind–body continuum. Finally, the article explores the relevance of practicing the brahmaviharas by utilizing specifically crafted movement rituals, such as body preparatory routines, mindful movement, body scans, embodiment, gratitude rituals, interspersed with visual art and the use of props to focus on enhancing people’s resilience, mental health, and well-being. All these experiences were creatively adapted to the virtual medium during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

"Geyi" used to be a methodology to preach Buddhist ideas in China when Buddhism first arrived in China. Borrowing from analogous concepts and terminology which are familiar to the local people to explain the ideas of an unacquainted Buddhism - this is the meaning of Geyi. It is an interesting phenomenon to see a reversed trend of Geyi is going on in the latest development of Buddhist psychology. "Reverse Geyi" is a methodology to adopt Western terminology to explain and interpret Chinese traditional thoughts. In the recent development of Buddhist psychology, using Western psychology theories and concepts to explain, interpret or elaborate Buddhist ideas about the mind is an obvious trend in academia. While "Geyi" could be regarded as a temporary means for people to understand Buddhist ideas, what is the purpose of adopting "Reverse Geyi"? This paper intends to explore the role of "Reverse Geyi" in the recent development of Buddhist psychology. To achieve this objective, this paper first studied the discourse of researchers in this field. What are the goals they want to achieve? Why are they adopting Western psychology to interpret Buddhist ideas about the mind? There are two main goals that the researchers want to achieve, including 1) popularizing Buddhist psychology's knowledge, and 2) modernizing Buddhist psychology. With the analysis of relevant examples, this paper concludes that adopting "Reverse Geyi" as a means to achieve those two goals is useful temporarily. It cannot be adopted as a long-term strategy. More focus should be put on empirical studies to realize the goals set by the researchers in the field of Buddhist psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spiritual but not religious (SBNR) identification is a burgeoning demographic with unique spiritual concerns often unmet by Eurocentric mainstream counseling theoretical orientations. This article presents an overview of Buddhist psychology, its intersection with SBNR values, and how Buddhist psychology may be a relevant theoretical orientation for SBNR clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After describing the basic tenets of Invitational Education and Buddhist psychology, this article explores four commonalities and their implications: The individual is in control; knowing is not doing; others can help; and we can facilitate others' efforts to use effective strategies to reach happiness. The paper concludes by contrasting Invitational Education and Buddhist views on self, perception, and appropriate action. Invitational appropriate wisdom (pradjna paramita) is totally under the control of the individual. (Contains 2 figures.)

This mixed method research aimed to study the results of self-development based on Buddhist psychology principles to enhance the competency of engineering personnel. The 64 samples, using the G * Power were divided into 32 people in experimental groups and 32 people in control groups. The research tools were the competency measurement, behavior observation and self-development program. The experimental training was divided into phase I for 3 days, 2 nights, phase II for 1 month and follow-up period for 1 month. Research data were analyzed by T-test, Two-way repeated measures ANOVA and content analysis. The research found that he competency enhancing program consisted of 14 activities and IOC of the program was between 0.875 –1. The program is suitable and effective for reduction to practice. The comparison of the average scores of the competencies shown that the engineering personnel competencies after the experiment were higher than before the experiment and higher than the control group with statistical significance at the level of .05

Buddhist psychology increasingly informs mental healthcare through therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), as well as explicitly Buddhist therapies. The central tenets of Buddhist psychology are explored in the Abhidharma, a collection of psychological works from the traditional canon. The Abhidharma includes detailed expositions of the structure of consciousness; the natures of active cognitive processes and passive states; the relationships between material and mental phenomena, conditionality, and "dependent arising"; and the practice of meditation. These concepts are increasingly relevant owing to the continued emergence of psychotherapeutic practices (e.g., mindfulness) with significant roots in Buddhism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supporting the concept of DEI, yet, perturbed by the volatility that marks today's societal and professional climate, the authors of this article examined three Eastern spiritual traditions in search of common guidelines addressing contemporary issues related to social unrest, imbued by inequity and injustice. The areas of review included Buddhist psychology, with some of its foundational concepts such as the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the concept of ahimsa (non-harming), and the understanding of the impermanence of everything as inclusive managerial practices; Daoist philosophy, with its observations of oneness and equality, and holistic self-alignment with virtue through practicing tranquility; and Hinduism, which focuses on the absence of distinction between ourselves and others around us, thus forming the foundation for morality and ethical behavior with its emphasis on unity in diversity. This collective investigative journey has led us to gather some powerful common behavioral and ethical guidelines, to steer away managers from hyperindividualism and self-centeredness to a greater and consistent respect for the unity among all beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology have deep historical connections. However, there has been a lack of discourse between these fields of study. Therefore this paper focuses on the relationship between the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology as well as the history and research trends of each field. Recently, studies on the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology have attracted attention based on the concepts of 'spirituality' and 'mindfulness.' Moreover, there have been a number of psychotherapeutic techniques developed that are based on mindfulness meditation. The relationship between the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology is complex and often the subject of confusion. The complexity results from the fact that Buddhism could be seen as an alternative to psychology in the analysis of the mind; and moreover, Buddhism also contains aspects of psychotherapy that bring peace of mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the theoretical fruits of the marriage between Social Constructionism and Buddhist psychology, particularly vis-à-vis reality, selfhood, and social change. In Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmannn's 1966 classic, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, the authors called for a "sociological psychology," which this paper addresses by building upon some of the insights from Engaged Buddhism, specifically the Order of Interbeing. The paper's chief aim is to understand the psychological construction of reality via a Buddhist psychology of knowledge in order to imagine what the next cultural paradigm shift might look like. The author of this paper imagines a transmodern and ecocentric global culture as informed by the major changes that have been happening since 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of grief counseling has yet to see an integration of Buddhist psychology. Drawing on Buddhist psychology literature and Western models of grief, this article explores possible integrations of two approaches. To lay the foundation for this discussion, the authors introduced a brief overview of the history of Buddhism as well as a Buddhist conception of death and other relevant Buddhist concepts. Integrations of Buddhist psychology and Western models of grief are explored within the context of death and grief as part of life, grief as a process, balancing doing and being, and an interpersonal approach to grief counseling. Application of the Buddhist approach for individual and group practice was illustrated, followed by a cautionary note on the caveats of integrating two approaches. The article ends with a discussion on the implications of the Buddhist approach for counselor self-care. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

The article explores a tract on Buddhist psychology and notes the conceptual technique of conceptual family, along with the interweaved conceptual categories in analytical philosophy of perception, sensation, truth, and knowledge.