Buddhism and Alternative Counseling Strategies

Buddhism teaches that salvation from suffering is achieved by renouncing the world, by pursuing the eradication of desire, and by following the eightfold path (Fisher, 1999). The Buddha set forth a systematic approach by means of which dedicated individuals could pull themselves out of suffering and achieve the goal of liberation. The Eightfold Path offers ways to burn up all past demerits, avoid accumulating new demerits, and build up merit for a favorable rebirth and a final escape from the cycle of death and rebirth into nirvana.

Practices associated with the Eightfold Path include the pursuit of right understanding, right thoughts or motives, right speech and right action, right livelihood and effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation (Fisher, 1999). Meditation is of special significance in assisting the Buddhist believer in distancing the self from the pull exerted by materialism. Prayer is an integral practice within Buddhism that links meditation to the pursuit of knowledge and the eradication of desire. It is therefore the purpose of this report to explore Buddhism as a non-Western psychological model that is useful in identifying and correcting emotional distress.

Rand (2004, p. 40) identifies the theoretical basis on which Buddhism can be integrated into therapeutic practice with respect to the following ideas:

People in the helping professions must cope with the pain and suffering of o

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ger and stated that it involved seven steps. The first step is taking responsibility for one's own anger and the consequences of anger. The second step involves becoming aware of the physiological and emotional correlates of anger and the circumstances in which these factors come into play. Third, a Buddhist therapeutic approach to anger calls for understanding anger and what it means. Fourth, through meditation and introspective thought, reflection on the causes and consequences of anger is encouraged. Leifer (1999) states that the fifth stage of treating anger in a Buddhist intervention involves arriving at a decision regarding the ways in which anger will be dealt with and the situations associated with anger addressed. Sixth, meditation, breathing techniques, and other strategies for achieving relaxation helps to further pull the individual away from the desires, aversions, or ignorance that creates anger in the first place. The final stage of treatment for anger in the Buddhist model calls for opening the heart. Here, Leifer (1999) states that meditation is employed to open the heart and the emotions of the individual to feelings that are positive, affirmative, and conducive to a sense of calmness, harmony, and wel
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Approximate Word count = 1947
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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