Buddhist Psychology Specialization Second Year Curriculum
First Quarter
Buddhism in Its Contexts
Examines the historical context of Buddhism in India, the life and teachings of the historical Buddha and the spread of Buddhism to China, Japan and the West. Also considers Buddhism as a philosophy, a psychology and a set of practices.
Introduction to Meditation Practice
Introduces the foundational practices of Shamatha (calm-abiding), Vipassana (clear-seeing), Analytical practice and the Triple A (Attention, Awareness, Acceptance) as well as the Cultivation Practices: Metta, Tonglen and the Brahmavijaras (loving kindness, compassion, empathic joy, equanimity).
Second Quarter
The Three Vehicles and the Basic Teaching
Examines the 3 Vehicles or paths of Buddhism (Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana) and The Basic Teaching, including the dharma as teaching and as path/way, the Four Noble Truths, the sutras (esp. Heart, Diamond) and the Abidharma commentaries.
Buddhist Psychology: An Experiential Exploration
Explores Buddhist epistemology (first-person knowing, introspection, contemplation, "valid cognition"); the nature of reality (suffering, the five skandhas, emptiness, impermanence, and no-self); the problem of the self; skillful means for working with difficult emotion; the definition of the good life.
Third Quarter
Zen Buddhism
Topics include the development of Zen in China and Japan (Buddhism and Taoism), Zen culture and aesthetics (Tea Ceremony, Zen gardens), nonconceptual knowing (after the mind, what?), the two paths of Soto Zen (gradual path) and Rinzai Zen (working with koans, rapid path) and the relationship between Zen and psychoanalysis.
Buddhism in America: Applying the Teachings
A practice-oriented approach to the ways in which Buddhism has evolved in America. Topics include the first explorers (Watts, Suzuki), the major Buddhist Centers (East and West Coast, Naropa University) and the development of Buddhist-informed western psychology. Contemporary topics include mindfulness (Kabbat-zinn), emotional intelligence (Goleman) and various psychotherapy approaches (Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the approach of Mark Epstein and Radical Acceptance).
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