Report 89

Is Buddhism a form of psychology?

The area of Buddhism that draws a lot of interests seems to be psychological and physiological effects of meditation. This sometimes attracts criticism that Buddhists are in fact narcissists who have self interests at heart. Taking care of oneself is good in my book, perhaps a foundation. One learns a lot from people who are at ease with themselves and the world.

At any rate, I think the collaboration between Buddhism and the science in this area is a positive development. Some scientists claim that we no longer fully trust scientific researches but perhaps science is still the most pervasive and influential system that affects our lives. Buddhism has a lot to inform psychology, while the traditional teachers can learn more about the modern life through the dialogue.

As well as an overlap, one also has to acknowledge and respect the differences between Buddhism and psychology. I am quite uncomfortable with the idea of trimming and modifying Buddhism just so that it becomes palatable to a wider audience. What's particularly disconcerting is the impatient speed in which some go about it. Hard to slow down for a lot of us I guess with much available at a mouse-click.