This book provides an interdisciplinary discussion of conflict studies, drawing on perspectives from psychology and Buddhist studies. The author combines current research in psychology, conflict and management studies, as well as moral narratives drawn from religious and cultural contexts, to offer useful guidance on dealing with conflict and dichotomies. Drawing on a vast corpus of Buddhist literature, this book examines complex teachings, ideas and doctrines to bring insight to how individuals and societies might lead peaceful and balanced lifestyles. In this ground-breaking study Padmasiri De Silva insists that the social studies need to develop dialectical methods and understanding in addition to the objective and analytical collection of facts. Chapters cover an array of subjects including economics, ecology, human wellbeing, prison reform, dialectical behaviour therapy, multiculturalism, and peace studies.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, this thought-provoking essay explores the Buddha's teaching to find one prescription: not war, not pacifism but nonviolence.

Western therapeutic approaches have often put considerable emphasis on building self-esteem and enhancing a positive sense of self. This book challenges the assumption behind this approach. Most of us protect ourselves against being fully alive. Because we fear loss and pain, we escape by withdrawing from experiences and distracting ourselves with amusements. We fall into habitual ways of acting and limit our experience to the familiar. We create an identity which we think of as a 'self', and in so doing imprison our life-energy. For 2500 years Buddhism has developed an understanding of the way that we can easily fall into a deluded view. It has shown how the mind clings to false perceptions and tries to create permanence out of an ever changing world. Written by a practising therapist and committed Buddhist, this book explores the practical relevance of Buddhist teachings on psychology to our everyday experience. By letting go of our attachment to self, we open ourselves to full engagement with life and with others. We step out of our self-made prison.

The present work offers a complete translation of the Aguttara Nikya, the fourth major collection in the Sutta Piṭaka, or Basket of Discourses, belonging to the Pali Canon

This is the first book to offer Buddhist meditators a comprehensive and sympathetic examination of the differences between Asian and Western cultural and spiritual values. Harvey B. Aronson presents a constructive and practical assessment of common conflicts experienced by Westerners who look to Eastern spiritual traditions for guidance and support—and find themselves confused or disappointed. Issues addressed include: • Our cultural belief that anger should not be suppressed versus the Buddhist teaching to counter anger and hatred • Our psychotherapists' advice that attachment is the basis for healthy personal development and supportive relationships versus the Buddhist condemnation of attachments as the source of suffering • Our culture's emphasis on individuality versus the Asian emphasis on interdependence and fulfillment of duties, and the Buddhist teachings on no-self, or egolessness

Creatively exploring the points of confluence and conflict between Western psychology and Buddhist teachings, various scholars, researchers, and therapists struggle to integrate their diverse psychological orientations—psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, transpersonal—with their diverse Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist practices. By investigating the degree to which Buddhist insights are compatible with Western science and culture, they then consider what each philosophical/psychological system has to offer the other. The contributors reveal how Buddhism has changed the way they practice psychotherapy, choose their research topics, and conduct their personal lives. In doing so, they illuminate the relevance of ancient Buddhist texts to contemporary cultural and psychological dilemmas.

This book advances a serious consideration of how the goals and practices of psychology can be informed and enriched by Buddhist traditions that transcend the individual to consider the interconnectedness of all things, and the responsibility we have towards the other. Individualistic and psychotherapeutic applications of Buddhism in psychology are examined, followed by a bold step into the community arena, with consideration given to the intersection between community psychology and Buddhist approaches to empowerment, social change, and prevention.