| Unit name | Psychology & Philosophy in the Abhidhamma |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRS30017 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Emeritus Professor. Gethin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
How to keep the mind happy and healthy? How to achieve rebirth in good circumstances? The Buddhist answers to these and many more questions are found in the Abhidhamma. 'Abhidhamma' represents Buddhist systematic thought. Essentially psychological in its approach, it attempts to give a comprehensive account of the world by way of the workings and behaviour of the mind in response to experience. The unit begins by examining the specifically Buddhist understanding of the processes of everyday consciousness, dream and deep sleep, what happens in the process of death and rebirth, the workings of karma, and the Buddhist approach to such ethical issues as mercy killing. We then broaden our scope to consider the Buddhist understanding of the mind and consciousness in relationship to modern western understanding, focusing on the notion of 'mental health' and the recent adoption of Buddhist psychological and meditative techniques by some modern western psychotherapists.
