The claims of the traditional texts and teachers of Buddhist meditation include the enhancement of mental health. Twenty five meditators sitting a ten day retreat in Vipassana and Metta meditation were measured on a compassion scale and an androgyny index. The androgyny index was used to measure mental health. Compassion scores for all meditators increased slightly after the retreat. Experienced meditators had significantly higher scores than inexperienced meditators. Regardless of previous experience, meditators with high compassion scores significantly increased in androgyny after the retreat. The traditional claims for the enhancement of mental health are therefore supported by these results.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Univ., Diss.--Detroit. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-358) and index. Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph.D.--University of Michigan).

Texte remanié de: Ph. D. Thesis--Department of religion and ethics--St Martin's college, Lancaster, 2000. / Bibliogr. p. 242-249.

Proefschrift--Leiden, 1978. / Vita. Summary in Dutch. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes special report study entitled: Man, nature and architecture : design methodology of Tadao Ando. Includes bibliographical references.

This doctrinal study demonstrates in what way the ‘Universal Applicability’ of Buddha Dhamma can be reflected in the intervention process in view of the contemporary situation of the Buddhist Mindfulness being integrated as a psychotherapeutic technique. In past few decades, the Western psychotherapists recognize Mindfulness as ‘the heart of Buddhist meditation’ and apply it as an impartial psychotherapeutic technique to serve their clients’ physical health and psychological wellness. As recorded in the Buddhist Pāli tradition, through practicing Mindfulness meditation, people are able to comprehend the ‘Universal Applicability’ of Buddha Dhamma, to realize three universal characteristics (lakkhanas) of sentient existence, namely impermanence (anicca), un-satisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anatta), and eventually to liberate their mind from suffering. From studying the Buddhist teaching of Mindfulness embedded in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the Mahā-Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the researcher develops this tenet, “the Buddhist Mindfulness could be an effective psychotherapeutic technique when it is practiced within the Buddhist context and supported by the theoretical foundation, and when the ‘Universal Applicability’ of the Buddha Dhamma is reflected in the therapeutic process ”. Applying the tenet to study the case, the ‘Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program’ (the MBSR) initiated by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, she finds three issues which makes her hesitated to agree with the Western psychotherapists’ integrating the Buddhist Mindfulness as a stand-alone psychotherapeutic technique. The first two issues are the way the psychotherapists interpreting and implementing the Buddhist Mindfulness as a stand-alone technique without the Buddhist context and isolated from the Buddhist theoretical foundation. Resulted from the first two issues, the third one is the ‘Universal Applicability’ of Buddha Dhamma has no way to reflect in the treatment process to help people liberating from suffering. After identifying these three issues, the researcher carries on to incorporate ideas of practicing Mindfulness suggested by the Pali Buddhist tradition, and collaborate with the Social Work Profession with applying transferrable skills of the ‘Experiential Learning’ techniques to design a pilot service—the Buddhist Mindfulness-Based Social Service Project (the BMBSS). The BMBSS, consists of (1) an Orientation Meeting, (2) the six-session Prerequisite Training (the PRT-BMBSS) and, (3) the twenty-six-session Buddhist Mindfulness-Based Social Service Program (the BMBSS), aims at demonstrating the way to support the ‘Practicing Facilitators’ and the ‘Practicing Novices’ to apply the Buddhist teaching of Mindfulness into their daily activities. Moreover, the researcher designs the BMBSS Project in the way to promote interdisciplinary collaboration between Buddhist communities and the Social Work Profession to exchange ideas to benefit their services. The Social Work Profession may benefit from the Buddhist teaching on ‘non-self’ to apply its intrinsic technique of the ‘use of self’ to serve the clients, when the Buddhist communities may learn from the Social Work Profession to bring the Buddhist teaching to serve the society at large. Furthermore, ideas on supporting inter-disciplinary collaboration generated from developing the BMBSS may transfer into promoting dialogues and networking between the Buddhist communities and other professions to integrate the ‘Universal Applicability’ of Buddha Dhamma to serve the needs of the Buddhists and non-Buddhists. / published_or_final_version / Buddhist Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

In response to Tibetan social pressures in the 11th century, Atisa initiated a renewal of Buddhist monasticism that resulted in all Buddhist praxis outside of meditation being strictly framed by attitudes and behaviors informed by love and compassion. Atisa's teachings are exemplified in pithy sayings that point to the heart of bodhisattva practice, and this mind training practice developed into a tradition in the period immediately following his passing. The success of the method, and of the emulation of Atisa as exemplar of a perfect bodhisattva, led to the adoption of mind training throughout Tibetan Buddhism. "Tibetan Mind Training: Tradition and Genre" explains the relation between a native Tibetan literary genre and monastic Buddhist practice found in the 14th century compilation Mind Training: The Great Collection (theg pa chen po blo sbyong rgya tsa). The introduction provides context and presents methodology. Chapter one argues that 'blo sbyong' should be translated as 'mind training.' Chapter two has two broad arguments: a rebuttal of a conception of mind training as an essentially psychological preparation for other practices; and an explanation of its praxis as the interaction of mind and real objects. Chapter three explains the relation of mind training praxis and tradition, with reference to Atisa's reforms. Chapter four explains some characteristics of the literary genre of mind training.