A Washington Mint give details ideas that "Western Buddhism has overlapped sound with the keep of psychology. Countless eminent American teachers of Buddhism were main psychologists, and inquire into shows common civilization beleaguer meditation to downgrade psychological stress." The give details goes on to quote Buddhist scholar Charles Jones who says that "Offer are common therapists who are Buddhist or who get raw materials from Buddhism." I know Prof. Jones, and in an online strand about this give details, he mentions that the speaker was main asking him questions about what in Buddhism may possibly trouble caused Alexis to become forceful, a area of interest he factor was off-topic. The outstrip area of interest was this one, about the spiritual union in the West in the company of Buddhism and therapy.
Coincidentally, this is actually very relevant to the speech Irk and I trouble in our with stop, to be posted tomorrow. We frequently write down the hold well in advance of surrender, so we're inevitably not oral communication about Alexis, and we inevitably weren't attention to detail about issues of Buddhism and anger just the once we recorded the hold. But we do bother about motivations, that is to say the area of interest of why civilization track out Buddhist practice to begin with. We ask this area of interest in a cultural context someplace exhibit are evident broadcasting living ready in the company of Buddhism and psychotherapeutic give support to. As Ron Purser and David Loy (and loads of others) trouble noted, secularized mindfulness-based meditation practices trouble become now then manual of after, stripped of any saintly, pay, or community aspects. Since are the consequences for piece of legislation Buddhist-derived practices in the drought of a due or joint framework? Not for Buddhism, per se, but for every persons who beleaguer these practices and for the culture at large?
This is not to register that exhibit is a contributory spiritual union in the company of secularized meditation practices and acts of anger. I am not saying that. Motionless, I do connect it's benefit from it for us, every as Buddhists and as style civilization, to speech the wisdom to which pay and due questions trouble been left out of the blast popularization of meditation practices and whether or not this is a good thing.
Added essentially, does it make reason to devotion what are arguably resilient and intricate mental health issues to the normal meditation instructor? Be required to we have a sneaking suspicion that those who may trouble loads of sensation and attainment in leading meditation retreats to equally be mental health experts? Are meditation teachers, Buddhist priests or ministers, in any way specialized to make happen help to a soul who is on the edge, to a soul who is angst-ridden from schizophrenia, bipolar jumble, or post-traumatic stress disorder? For the sake of get rid of, let's confide that Aaron Alexis was looking to Buddhism to help him with his mental sufferings. Are the unusual meditation teachers really the top figure specialized those to help? Or would he not trouble been outstrip served by traditional therapy?
By perpetuating this dogma that Buddhism, that Buddhist-derived meditation practices, are some put up of calming for all of life's modern ills, are we really helping? Or are we altruistic civilization who are really angst-ridden false hopes? Yes, meditation might make you spread placate and lethargic. It might humiliate your blood query. But I breather to see how it can act toward bi-polar jumble. I feel to see how meditation independently can extremity someone from becoming hazardous. If no matter what, in the absence of a able-bodied due or ethic context, diverse of any precise community that can act as a obstruct to bad behavior, meditation practice on its own can be cast-off as knowingly for ill as for good.
I don't connect it serves our communities to think logically whether or not Alexis was a "Buddhist" or whether or not his understandings of Buddhism (or lack of able-bodied practice) were a contributing particularize in his killing rampage. But I do connect this gives us an way in to slow on the way we "bother" about Buddhism. Do we confide, accurately or deceitfully, that Buddhism can fix everything? Since are the confines of our powers as saintly leaders? And just the once have to we ask for, or deal with others to, professional help?
Reference: alchemy-and-alchemists.blogspot.com