Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

148 Belinda Siew Luan Khong
This leads to the craving for and the attachment to symbols of permanency in the
quest for certainty.
How does Buddhism assist the individual in taking personal responsibility?
According to the Buddha by encouraging the person to see things as they are, and
to respond appropriately. This takes us to the heart of the Buddhist conception of
responsibility. From the Buddhist perspective, responsibility involves respondability,
that is the ability to respond appropriately and skillfully. Our responsibility
lies in being aware of what unique response is called for in each unique
situation (Batchelor, 1990). The idea is to let go of “what should or ought to be”
and to respond judiciously as opposed to acting from habitual tendencies.
Developing the ability to respond appropriately is emphasized in the ontic
manifestation of responsibility and brings into play the Buddha’s teachings of
karma and the eightfold path. Karma means volition or action. The concept of
karma involves the idea that every action produces a reaction. As Dhammananda
(1987) explains, karma is not an entity but a process, “it is our doings reacting on
ourselves.” (p. 89). Karma also helps to address the question, “to whom and for
what are we responsible?” In the Buddhist context, the “whom” and the “what”
refers to the individual’s responsibility for freeing his or her own mind from
remorse. According to the Buddha, our actions have effects not only upon others,
but more importantly on our own states of mind. In psychological terms, it means
that the suffering or the happiness that we experience is a result of our own deeds,
and that we are responsible for our actions. The idea of karma underscores the
importance of personal responsibility and self-reliance in Buddhism.
To understand the effects of our actions, the Buddha points out that we need
to learn to see things as they are. To develop this attitude of openness, he advocates
a way of life lived according to the eightfold path (the fourth noble truth).
According to Batchelor (1997), in this path, the Buddha recommends for the individual
“not something to believe in, but something to do” (p. 17). In this sense, it is
an ontic application of the Buddha’s teachings concerning the cessation of human
suffering, and encapsulates his teachings concerning personal responsibility.
The eightfold path consists of three aspects, namely morality, mental culture
and wisdom. The morality aspect which comprises the behavioural categories of
right speech, right action and right livelihood represents the ethical foundation of
the path (Epstein, 1995). The word “right” used to qualify each of the eight factors
of the path does not refer to moral judgments or constraints imposed from
outside. It concerns taking responsibility for one’s speech, actions and mental
attitudes so that one gains a sense of inner peace and harmony. In this sense, right
is synonymous with harmonious. In the context of morality, the Buddha advocates
self-reflection and self-discipline. He counsels people to continually reflect
on the consequences of their actions before proceeding and to refrain from
actions that is not conducive to harmony in each situation. This is in line with his
teaching that responsibility involves the ability to respond appropriately.