We can either be lost in a smaller state of consciousness—what in Buddhist psychology is called the body of fear, which brings suffering to us and others—or we can bring the quality of love and appreciation, which I would call gratitude to life. With it comes a kind of trust. The poet Pablo Neruda writes: “You can pick all the flowers, but you can’t stop the spring.” (Allyson Pimentel)
Choosing love and gratitude over fear and suffering. Knowing that spring blooms immediately after winter. Witnessing how a lotus grows undeterred by the mud in which it takes root. Buddhism teaches that while suffering is universal, we have the ability to reduce its hold on us. Buddhism provides practical steps for cultivating skillful mental competencies that benefit us deeply and affect the world in positive ways.
It is therefore not surprising that Buddhism is often referred to as a philosophy and even a science, as well as a religion; and that there has been growing interest in the overlap of Buddhism and the modern science of psychology, with many arguing that they share the aim of increasing our capacity to experience loving and meaningful lives.
This idea is explored in depth by the non-profit organization Lion’s Roar in its online learning course “Buddhism and Psychology: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Healing.” In a series of interviews, talks, and practical workshops that are spread across three learning modules, 12 leading experts and teachers offer their insights into the intersection of “the two sciences of the mind” or “the sciences of suffering.”
The importance of both disciplines co-existing is beautifully illustrated in the course’s introductory interview by reference to the Korean saying: “If you’re sick, you go to the hospital. If you’re suffering, you go to the cushion.”
The interview, which takes place between Lion’s Roar editor Melvin McLeod and Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield (the latter two being pioneers of the Buddhist psychology movement), investigates the strengths of each discipline, as well as where they fall short when practiced in isolation. Goodman and Kornfield share anecdotes from their experiences with meditation in the 1970s that highlight recurring obstacles: the transference that practitioners often experienced with their meditation teachers, the fact that ordained monks and lamas failed to relate to common struggles such as romantic relationships, and that many students were turning up with issues related to trauma and abuse that could not be meditated away, no matter how much time was spent on the cushion.
Conversely, traditional Western methods of healing the mind are often limited to helping people to simply function in their day-to-day lives. They may ease suffering but do not necessarily provide a comprehensive path toward fulfillment.
However, when these Western methods are used in conjunction with mindfulness-based practices derived from Buddhism, people can gain deeper insights into what they are clinging to and how they can become free. The combination of contemplative practices and psychology can therefore bring about long-term peace, joy, and fulfillment.
This point is showcased by diverse experts in the fields of Buddhism, mindfulness, and psychology. Here are a few that caught my eye:
• Psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher Rose Mina Munjee draws parallels between the four immeasurable abodes and common practices in modern social science to illustrate that the Buddhist brahmaviharas directly impact psychological health;
• Novice Zen priest and psychotherapist Willie Mukei Smith provides an overview of suffering from the perspective of Zen and psychoanalysis;
• Dharma teacher Gullu Singh discusses the anecdotal and neurological benefits of refraining from complaining; and:
• Psychologist and meditation teacher Allyson Pimentel, who co-directs Mindful USC at the University of Southern California and teaches at UCLA and Insight LA, offers a guided meditation that intertwines Insight Vipassana techniques with pendulation, a somatic experiencing practice for healing trauma.
This eclectic mix of leaders and teachers, of theories and practices, is a wonderful reflection of the vast information that is available to meditation practitioners today. While we are currently spoiled for resources, literature, and courses on the intersection of Buddhism and psychology, Goodman and Kornfield highlight that this was not the case when they started connecting the fields in the 1970s.
The movement at the time was innovative and often frowned on, and it took decades of work before the two sciences of the mind—one based in Eastern tradition and the other in Western tradition—were considered valid and complimentary. And there is still much room for improvement; as Goodman points out, the experiences and needs of marginalized groups of society remain largely underrepresented.
This fact is elaborated on by pastoral counselor Pamela Aye Yetunde, whose doctoral research explored whether Buddhism is beneficial to unrepresented sections of society in the US, specifically Black people and those from the LGBTQ+ community. Yetunde highlights that when she undertook her research in 2015–16, there were no resources available on the topic. This is to the detriment of people who identify as Black and queer, because they have different needs from the so-called status quo. It is also to the detriment of society at large, because marginalized groups have wonderful contributions to make to the Buddhist psychology movement. As Yetunde beautifully implores, when communities that have been the target of widespread societal oppression and hatred are still able to “come out of the side of all that as loving, isn’t it worth taking a few extra moments to understand why that might be the case?”
Making up for this gap in representation, the Buddhism and Psychology course offers illustrations of what inclusivity can look like. Yetunde’s professional title of “pastoral counselor”—which is not common to Buddhism and was specifically chosen to align with the Christian African-American context she grew up in—exemplifies how language can be adapted to resonate with people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and identities. And it is not only language that shifts in order to meet diverse needs.
Rose Mina Munje starts her talk with an in-depth “land-acknowledgment” in honor of the indigenous people of her current geographical location, Toronto (originally Tkaronto), and all its current inhabitants, thereby exemplifying her intention to build bridges between communities and create a safe environment for people from all intersections. And Willie Muskie Smith’s workshop offers meditation techniques that take people’s experiences with trauma into consideration. This is an approach that is particularly important in the context of marginalized groups who have been oppressed for so long that easing the nervous system may be a prerequisite to sitting still for prolonged periods.
While the content of the course is incredibly enlightening, what strikes me as even more powerful is the dispositions of the teachers themselves. In their unique ways, they discuss complex and sometimes controversial topics with deep wisdom, compassion and warmth—providing fertile ground for learning and a demonstrable embodiment of what combining Buddhism with psychology can accomplish.
Nina Müller is a Mindfulness Teacher who offers online mindfulness coaching sessions. If you would like to find out more, please visit The Mindful Practice to book a complimentary consultation.
See more
Buddhism and Psychology: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Healing (Lion’s Roar)
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