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Introduction
21
nowski(1530–1584)wasfamousforhisphilosophicalstoicism,advocated
aBuddhist-likepeacefulapproachtobetterandworsedays,butwhenhis
lifesituationdramaticallychanged,heabandonedhisphilosophicalunder-
standing,andsurrenderedtodepressionanddisillusioninhiswriting.Bud-
dhismisforemostlyamethodofutilizingitsteachingsinpractice.Ithas
meditativeandotherpracticesenablingtheteachingsunderstoodintellec-
tuallytobecomeone’srealandreliableexperienceineverydaylife.Itgoes
beyondspeculationsinthehead,andreachestotheheartofunshakableex-
perience.
Asthisinevitablyinvolvestransformingmindandworkingwithemo-
tions,thenBuddhismappearstobeaformofanancientpsychology.Inthe
Westernworld,however,thefactthatthesuiciderateamongpsychologists
issuspiciouslyhigh(oneinsixteenpsychotherapistsatleastattemptedsu-
icide)andothermentalproblemsarecommon(Epstein,Bower1997),does
notinspirewell-functioningpeopletoseethesespecialistsasguidestopsy-
chologicalflourishing.Psychologyandpsychiatryaregreathelpforpeople
strugglingwiththeirmentalhealth,butBuddhismcanonlybeginwhere
psychologyends,justlikeintensivesportisnotadvisableforpeoplewith
abrokenlimb.Buddhismhasbeenscientificallyproventobebeneficialfor
practitioners’well-being.TereisnouTibetanhappiness-gene,”itisthe
Buddhistpracticewhichisresponsiblefortheincreaseinhappiness,both
insubjectiveandneurologicalterms.Furthermore,thisshiftisreflectedin
animprovedconditionofthebody,i.e.notonlydoesitlowertheaggres-
sionlevels,butalsothebloodpressure.Positiveinfluenceofmeditationis
awidelyacceptedfact.Terefore,ifBuddhismistobeviewedaspsychology,
thenitwouldbethenascentupositivepsychology”ofhappiness,butbacked
with2500yearsofresearchandgoalreachingfarbeyonddualisticpsychol-
ogists’horizon.
Mostgenerally,BuddhismisreferredtoasuDharma”inSanskritor
unangchos”inTibetan,bothtermsdenotinguthewaythingsare”(Nydahl
1997:xv).Terefore,mostgenerallyBuddhismcanbeseenasamethodolog-
ical,intersubjectiveinquiryintothenatureofphenomenaaswellastheir
perceiver,tryingtoestablishthetruthaboutrealityfreefrompreconceived
ideasanddisturbingemotions,forthebenefitofall.Buddhistpracticeises-
tablishedinordertointernalizetheteachings,i.e.tobecomeaBuddha,even
ifthemethodmightsuperficiallyresembleworship.
WhatshouldbealsomentionedisthatBuddhismisanextremelywide
phenomenon,withamultitudeofschoolsandapproaches.Duetovarious
