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This video lecture course is about Buddhism and how it is valid in the terms of modern psychology, hence the name Buddhism and Modern Psychology. In this essay, I will answer two questions pertaining to the topic of how Buddhism in the eyes of psychology is valid. The questions have been chosen out of a list and they are the ones that I felt were most relevant to the topic.
The first question that I have chosen to answer is whether modern science lends support to the logic behind Buddhist meditation. Meditation has the reputation of being practiced solely by lone monks and gurus sitting in lotus position humming a mantra, but over the course of the lecture it was possible to establish that it was not true. Meditation can be done by anyone willing to do it regardless of religion, age, gender, or any other factor that could play into it.
Aside from that, meditation has scientific backing to its logic and why people should do it. In the video lectures, a study involving brain scans and meditation was mentioned several times. The studies showed that while meditated, the subjects showed signs of thought processes slowing down and changes occurring in the brain.
The purpose of meditation, and mindfulness meditation as mentioned in this course, is to increase awareness while calming the normal thought processes that often overcrowd the mind with ideas that are deemed not-true by Buddhism. These brain scans clearly show that the purpose of meditation is achieved in doing so.
Meditation is logical in not only the minds of Buddhist practitioners, but also in those of scientific standpoints. Meditation, however, is not exclusive to Buddhism alone. These brain scan studies showed that Franciscan nuns that spend tim...
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...point of view, I do not mind or wish to impose Buddhism on them. However, by looking at scientific studies, I can conclude that Buddhism is very rational.
This course has helped to improve my understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist precepts. It has also showed me better ways to live my life and that Buddhism can be acutely studied under the pretenses of scientific means. Buddhism and Buddhist meditation is scientifically proven to be psychologically changing and meaningful.
Works Cited
"Research on Meditation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 May 2014. Web. 06 May 2014.
Kitamura, Makiko. "Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014.
Barbor, Cary. "The Science of Meditation." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Psychology Today, 1 May 2001. Web. 06 May 2014.
However, meditation is not as common within Buddhism as most believe. There is a large assumption “that Buddhism and meditation go hand in hand”, but the majority of Buddhists have focused on “cultivating moral behavior, preserving the Buddha’s teachings (dharma), and acquiring good karma”(Braun 2014, p.1). Meditation and Buddhism are often assumed to be one and same, but this is also not true. As Buddhism has gained popularity among lay people it’s practices have changed Buddha’s teaching of the middle path has adapted to meditation being “possible in the city” rather than with monks in jungles and caves (p.4). As seen in Burma, in less than 75 years Buddhism and meditation were able to grow “from a pursuit of the barest sliver of the population to a duty of the ideal citizen” (p.5). While meditation is not the core of Buddhism it has encouraged the growth of Buddhism as it’s practice of mindfulness has been inspiring an approachable model (p.6). Meditation and mindfulness are easily manipulated to secularization, but still have significance in Buddhism and following the patterns of your
The psychological brain changes accumulate through neuroplastic response repeating a task now and then. fMRI is a brain imaging procedure that provides proof that attention to the left hippocampal grey substance increases during MBSR (Kabat-Zinn 2012). The study of mindfulness has shown the positive correlation between the time spent in practicing and improvement in clinical depression symptoms, mindfulness, and well-being. It argues that reputation determines the instantaneous and long-term therapeutic effect of mindfulness. However, there are no scientific facts to prove that the time spent in the practice of mindfulness meditation determines the symptom improvement. Although the medical practice lasts for eight weeks, shorter mindfulness programs yield positive effects too. If a person spent 20 minutes in meditation for five days, it resulted in reduced depression, anxiety anger, and fatigue. On the other hand, it improved immune-reactivity as well as decreased cortical (Saltzman 2014). If a person underwent mindfulness training for four days, there was the improvement of mindfulness, visual-spacial memory, working memory and sustained concentration. It proved that the time spent in the practice did not affect the increase in sustained attention. Besides, pre-task motivation increases concentration task performance more compared to everyday practice alone. In other words, the trait does not support task engagement. Instead, the state
Toneatto, T. (2010, March). Lecture 21: Cognitive Therapies with Buddhism. Lecture for Buddhism and Psychology (NEW232Y1Y) Course presented at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Buddhism has answers to many problems in the materialistic societies. Buddhism includes a deep understanding of the human mind; which is why I believe that Institutionalized Buddhism can be adapt...
Western psychology is concerned with the investigation of understanding the negative aspects of human behavior, emotions and the mind, and to some extent, with changing them. The Buddhist approach to the investigation of the mind is unscientific, as defined by the science of Western Psychology. It is not concerned with laboratory conditions, control groups, or ‘objectivity’ in the sense of the experimenter being separate from and impartial to the subject (Nettle, 2005). In Buddhism, the person conducting the experiment and the subject are the same. Buddhists seek truth, as do scientists. Science, for the most part, sees the world as something external, which can be observed and understood as truth. Psychology involves understanding the human experience through the study of the mind and how perception governs behavior. Buddhism sees perception as internal and of one’s experience of the outside world as a fundamental part of understanding the truth within our self.
Deleanu, Florin. "Agnostic Meditations On Buddhist Meditation." Zygon: Journal Of Religion & Science 45.3 (2010): 605-626. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
The study of Buddhism over the past century or so has resembled the encounter of the blind men and the elephant in many ways. Students of Buddhism have tended to fasten onto a small part of the tradition and assume their conclusions held true about the whole. Often the parts they have seized on have been a little like the elephant's tusks a striking, but unrepresentative, part of the whole animal. As a result, many erroneous and sweeping generalizations about Buddhism have been made, such as that it is 'negative', 'world-denying', 'pessimistic', and so forth.
Understanding the brain and the different signs will help acknowledge the issues within a person to help them cope with the issue. It is important for one to be aware of their selves and their reactions/behaviors. On the other hand, the studies address the different types of mediation and possible consequences. When introducing a specific technique, there are always pros and cons, and people that are for or against the matter. Meditation is known as healing of the body and/or mind and can be religious. Those different types were address and justified for the understanding of the use for the
Well, that can be a good issue for debate, but then what about Buddhism? And other disciplines which also talk about the importance of meditation. Work Citation 1) Bhagvad Gita as it is. Bangalore: ISCKON, 2001.
The power of thought is an incredible force that controls our actions and emotions. Often these thoughts can lead to distractions, suffering, and stress. However, many forms of meditation ease and diminish the negative ideas that humans face. Meditation has been practiced since ancient times and has a variety of different approaches and methods, but I will focus on what has helped me the most in my life, Zen meditation. As an individual who battles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive thoughts daily, conscious-altering methods such as meditation have allowed me to escape my compulsive and frightening thoughts and relax my body
Story, Francis. "Buddhist Meditation." Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Eastern enlightenment religions have been gaining popularity throughout the western world for the past few decades, with many people attracted to a "different" way of experiencing religion. As with many other enlightenment religions, Buddhism requires disciples to understand concepts that are not readily explainable: one such concept is that of no-self. In this essay I shall discuss the no-self from a number of modern perspectives; however, as no-self is difficult to describe I shall focus on both the self and no-self. Beginning with psychological aspects, and neurophysiological research on transcendental meditation, I shall discuss the impact of modern brain science on our understanding of the self and transcendence. Next I will outline the relationship between quantum physics and non-locality, as this gives a western scientific explanation for no-self. Returning to the original source of Buddhism, I will briefly outline the discussion between Siddhartha and Vaccha regarding atman, then discuss the mind and no-self and their relationship to liberation. Finally I will summarize a few issues that the western mindset may face approaching this topic.
Audrey Buckley Mrs. Cutright 26 Feb. 2018 Research Essay - Buddhism Buddhism is a religion that has been on earth for so long, it has been twisted and changed to fit people’s personal opinions and beliefs. This religion is centered around one man, Gautama, who ended his suffering by reaching spiritual enlightenment through fasting, meditation and self discipline. Buddhism is a religion that focuses on meditation, self discipline, and acceptance. Buddhism has been around for around 2,500 years (Religion: Buddhism.) It is one of earth's oldest and biggest religions ever created.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm