The Relationship between the Psychology of Religion and Buddhist Psychology

Abstract

AbstractThe psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology have deep historical connections. However, there has been a lack of discourse between these fields of study. Therefore this paper focuses on the relationship between the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology as well as the history and research trends of each field. Recently, studies on the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology have attracted attention based on the concepts of “spirituality” and “mindfulness.” Moreover, there have been a number of psychotherapeutic techniques developed that are based on mindfulness meditation. The relationship between the psychology of religion and Buddhist psychology is complex and often the subject of confusion. The complexity results from the fact that Buddhism could be seen as an alternative to psychology in the analysis of the mind; and moreover, Buddhism also contains aspects of psychotherapy that bring peace of mind.