Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

Mahayana Principles of Integration
and preventing ethnic conflict. “The Buddhist tradition offers rich resources for
peacemaking and the cultivation of non-violence” (Queen, 1998, p. 25). Buddhism
holds that it is the “attachment to difference” (Ikeda, 1995, 2001; Martin, 1995)
that creates ethnic conflicts and therefore Mahay ana Buddhist principles of integration
could serve as guidelines to implement a change that would lead to the cessation
of ethnic conflicts and the creation of a sustainable peace. Mahayana
Buddhism could easily contribute to the psychological dimensions of the causes of
ethnic conflict.
The challenge will be to create a coherent set of integrative principles that
can provide individuals and groups with the knowledge and skills to empower
themselves to create a sustainable peace. To achieve this change, Buddhist principles
suggest there must first be a change within the individual heart and thus the
mind. Ikeda (2001) calls this inner change a “Human Revolution.” Ouspensky
(1979) refers to it as an awareness of a higher knowledge. Whatever the definition,
this change involves the development of a clear understanding of the true
self and thus gaining the knowledge to empower oneself to constructively create
peace and happiness in one’s life and in one’s environment. Empowerment is
described as a “construct that links individual strengths and competencies, natural
helping systems, and proactive behaviors to social policy and social change”
(Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995, p. 569). This kind of self-control or empowerment
is, Egendorf (1986) tells us, “... not a matter of interpretation (the Freudian revision
of foreign policy thinking) or of a set of procedures for working out agreements
(the conflict resolution approach). It grows out of a way of being” (p. 274).
In using the concept of integrative principles, we are referring to ideologies
capable of fostering unity among people of different backgrounds. These are principles
upon which people can live side by side and enjoy their differences while
working to create a harmonious society.
Psychology, in applying its theories to everything in life from child rearing
(Erikson) to dreams (Freud), to racism (Poussaint), and even to religion (Jung)
itself, and their relation to the individual, the groups, and “the other,” has thousands
of direct observation cases connected to various theories and approaches.
Over the past fifty years, there have been numerous studies and books written
about ethnic conflict, racism, genocide, its treatment, and its effects on individuals
and groups, ethnic minorities, and ethnic majorities. Buddhism, however, as a
theoretical approach dealing with such issues, lacks such substantial empirical
validation of its application. Where psychological theories have been extensively
explored in relation to ways of understanding and changing the racist behavior of
individuals or groups, Buddhist principles have been largely ignored. Buddhist
principles are only beginning to be examined by psychology for their possible
contributions to psychological approaches to “the self” and “the other” in creating
peace initiatives.
Modern studies on physical healing have shown religion to be helpful in
shaping the unconscious to control all forms of the healing process in physical
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