Buddhism and Personality

8/18/2019 Buddhism and Personality

1/20

Buddhismand

Personality


2/20

What does Buddhism have to

do with Psychology?

• Many shared interests:

• Consciousness

• Perception

• Subjectivity the Sel!"

• Social #elatedness

• $motions

• #eality vs% &elusion• Su'ering and $nding Su'ering


3/20

What does Buddhism have to do

with Psychology? cont%"

• Many psychologists have beenin(uenced by Bhuddism

• William )ames

• *aren +orney

• $rich ,romm

• Carl )ung

• Marsha -inehan• &aniel .oleman

• /nd on and on0


4/20

What is it and wheredid it come !rom?

• Some essential assumptions:

• 1he 2sel!3 is empty4 thus the concept o!a stable personality is illusory

• $ach being is a process does this sound!amiliar"

• 1he natural (ow o! the developmentalprocess is toward compassion and

acceptance• 1he illusion o! a separate sel! and the

belie! in the permanence o! things arethe roots o! su'ering

• Certain practices provide a remedy !or


5/20

did it come !rom? 5

cont%• Siddhartha .autama 6ndia 789 BC"• Born a prince

• *ept isolated !rom the #%;%W%

• Married at

• &iscovered that li!e includes su'ering4 sicness4death

• Sought spiritual instruction

• $ngaged in various spiritual practices

• Settled on the 2Middle Way3

• Sat under the Bodhi 1ree and got $nlightenment


6/20

What the Buddha

&iscovered and taught"

• ,our @oble 1ruths

• $ight!old Path


7/20

1he ,our @oble 1ruths

• 1here is su'ering duhkha"

•Based in delusion 5 ignorance o! thedharma the true nature o! reality"

• Most o! us see to avoid or eliminatesu'ering by denying it e%g% 2)ust World+ypothesis3"

• Buddhism encourages integration andacceptance o! su'ering as part o! reality


8/20

1he ,our @oble 1ruths cont%"

• Su'ering has a cause

•Craving/Attachment• Samsara 2Wheel o! su'ering3" anddesire !or

• Sensory pleasure kama tanha"

• Becoming or continuing to eAist bhavatanha"

• /nnihilation vibhava tanha"

• /n analogy: -ibido4 $ros 1hanatos,reud"


9/20


• Su'ering can cease

• @onattachment through practice

• Meditation 5 allows us to recogniDe and

surrender our attachments including oursense o! 2sel!3"

• Meditation brings about an understandingo! the true nature o! the sel!

• Enderstanding banishes ignorance4 andthus4 su'ering

• 1his process also !osters the emergence o!ethics and morality based in 2nativewisdom3


10/20


• 1here is a path to end su'ering

• $ight!old Path


11/20

1he $ight!old Pathwisdom"

• ;!ten re!erred to as the 2Middle Way3

• ;ne note: this cannot be given to anotherthrough teaching 5 2,inger pointed at moon is notmoon3

• Right View

• /ccurate perception4 undistorted by prejudice orprior notions such as negative sel!concept orassumptions about others

• Right Intention• Based on acceptance o! what is4 rather than

wishes !or something better or belie! that thingsare worse than they really are


12/20

1he $ight!old Path

morality"

• Right Speech

• 1rue4 direct assertions% #espect!ulstatements%

• Right Action

• -iving simply and behaving respect!ully

toward others with #ight 6ntention"• Right Livelihood

• Wor that is meaning!ul and consistentwith ethical and spiritual principles


13/20

1he $ight!old Path

concentration"

• Right Efort

• &iscipline without severity4 leaving room!or play!ulness and rejuvenation

• Right Mindulness• Maintaining awareness o! the 2big

picture3 rather than simply onmomentary perception

• Right Concentration

• ,ull involvement in the moment4 nondualistically4 not seeing sel!4 other4 worldas separate entities

d hi l


14/20

+ow does this relateto Personality?

• 1he concept o! the sel!4 or ego

• Sel!esteem vs% Sel!compassion

• /nalogy: Congruence Carl #ogers"

• Anatta nosel!" 5 stems !romrecognition o! impermanence there is

no enduring sel!"• Nirvana


15/20

&eath and /nAiety

• #elated to the illusion o! an individual

sel!

•Closely tied to $Aistentialism


16/20

1hree )ewels

• Buddha

• &harma

• Sangha

B h i d


17/20

Behavior: roots andconseFuences

• Behavior stems !rom thoughts andintentions% #ight thought and rightintention lead to right action%

• Karma 5 intentional action and itsconseFuences

• Dependent Origination – interrelated situational !actors that determine acondition

• (Indra’s Net)


18/20


19/20

MindGBody

• Psychesoma 5 mental and physical are

not separate4 but are interconnectedand mutually in(uence each other

• 1his lends itsel! to spiritual practices:

• HaDen *oans• Ioga Bhati4 +atha4 etc%"

1h d


20/20

1herapy andBehavior Change

• &ae .a

• &B1

• &avid -oy

• Morita 1herapy

Buddhism and Personality

Documents

Transcript of Buddhism and Personality