ME6210 Buddha's Teaching on Psychology (3 credits) (3-0-6)
In this course, we will discuss the Buddha’s teachings as presented in the early Buddhist discourses called the Suttas with a special purpose of finding their relevance and applicability in modern psychology and counseling. We will explain how the teaching defines human experience, mind-body relationship, existential problems such as self, craving, clinging, and suffering and the ways of finding solutions to these existential problems by way of understanding the Buddha’s teaching and undertaking the practices of mental cultivation. The main topics covered in this course include psychology of dhamma, the theory of dependent co-arising, ignorance and subjective determinants, experience as being conscious of name-and-matter, problem of self, craving for sensuality, cravings for self-continuity and self-discontinuity, positive thinking and self-initiative, controlling emotions, mindfulness, and awakening.
