Buddhist Psychology : The Foundation of Buddhist Thought

by Tashi Tsering, Geshe; Rinpoche, Lama Zopa

• ISBN13: 9780861712724
• ISBN10: 0861712722
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780861719617
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-20
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
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Summary

"Just as scientists observe and catalogue the material world, Buddhists for centuries have been observing and cataloging the components of the human psyche. Addressing both the nature of the human mind and how humans know what they know, Buddhist psychology offers a rich and subtle knowledge of the inner experience. Here, Buddhism's unique, time-tested way of viewing the mind is explained so that followers of Tibetan Buddhism can understand their anger and aversion, and develop equanimity, patience and love. "

Author Biography

Geshe Tashi Tsering was born in Tibet in 1958 and received his Geshe Lharampa degree (similar to a doctorate in divinity) from Sera Monastery in India in 1987. Since 1994, he has been the guiding teacher of the Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, while also teaching at other Buddhist centers worldwide.

Gordon McDougall was director of Cham Tse Ling, the FPMT's Hong Kong center, for two years in the 1980s and worked for Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London from 2000 to 2007. He helped develop the Foundation of Buddhist Thought study program and administered it for seven years. Since 2008 he has been editing Lama Zopa Rinpoche's lamrim teachings for Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive's FPMT Lineage series.

Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a worldwide network of Buddhist centers, monasteries, and affiliated projects, including Wisdom Publications. Rinpoche was born in 1946 in the village of Thami in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal near Mount Everest. His books include Transforming Problems into Happiness, How to Be Happy, and Ultimate Healing. He lives in Aptos, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Lama Zopa Rinpoche	ix
Preface	xi
Editor's Preface	xv
1. Mind in Buddhism	1	(20)
AN INNER SCIENCE	1	(3)
THE MIND IN BUDDHIST TEXTS	4	(4)
MONASTIC STUDY OF THE MIND	8	(2)
WHY STUDY THE MIND?	10	(2)
THE NATURE OF MIND	12	(7)
Mind Is Not Body	13	(3)
Mind Is Clear and Knowing	16	(3)
CONCLUSION	19	(2)
2. Main Minds and Mental Factors	21	(22)
MAIN MINDS	21	(8)
The Six Main Minds	24	(3)
The Sensory Main Minds	27	(2)
MENTAL FACTORS	29	(1)
ALWAYS-PRESENT MENTAL FACTORS	30	(7)
Contact	31	(1)
Discernment	31	(1)
Feeling	32	(2)
Intention	34	(2)
Attention	36	(1)
OBJECT-ASCERTAINING MENTAL FACTORS	37	(6)
Aspiration	38	(1)
Appreciation	38	(1)
Recollection	39	(1)
Concentration	40	(1)
Intelligence	41	(2)
3. Mental Afflictions	43	(22)
VARIABLE MENTAL FACTORS	43	(2)
Sleep	43	(1)
Regret	44	(1)
General Examination	45	(1)
Precise Analysis	45	(1)
THE THREE ZONES	45	(5)
THE FIRST ZONE AND THE THREE MAIN MENTAL AFFLICTIONS	50	(4)
Ignorance	51	(2)
Attachment	53	(1)
Aversion	54	(1)
THE SECOND ZONE	54	(4)
THE THIRD ZONE	58	(7)
Looking at Individual Mental Factors	59	(2)
How the Derivative Mental Afflictions Arise	61	(4)
4. Dealing with Negative Emotions	65	(16)
The Cause of Anger	68	(2)
Anger and Logic	70	(2)
Meditating on Anger	72	(1)
Developing Equanimity	73	(1)
Offering the Victory to Others	74	(2)
Developing Patience	76	(3)
Developing Love	79	(2)
5. Wholesome Mental Factors	81	(14)
The Three Fundamental Positive Mental Factors	81	(3)
The Traditional Eleven Positive Mental Factors	84	(2)
The Pyramid of the Three Trainings	86	(2)
POSITIVE MENTAL FACTORS IN THE SECOND ZONE	88	(3)
The Noble Eightfold Path in the Three Zones	88	(2)
Compassion and Self-Confidence	90	(1)
POSITIVE MENTAL FACTORS IN THE THIRD ZONE	91	(4)
Work Toward Long-term Goals	93	(2)
6. Epistemology: Conception and Perception	95	(26)
EPISTEMOLOGY IN BUDDHISM	95	(1)
CONCEPTION	96	(10)
Conceptual Thoughts Engage Through Elimination	98	(1)
Conceptual Thoughts Are Always Mistaken	99	(2)
Conceptual Thoughts Provide Cognitive Content	101	(1)
Implicative and Nonimplicative Negation	102	(1)
How the Mind Generalizes	103	(3)
PERCEPTION	106	(7)
Aspect	107	(3)
Comparing Perceptual and Conceptual Minds	110	(3)
VALID COGNITION	113	(8)
Pramana	113	(2)
The Etymology of Pramana	115	(1)
Nondeceptiveness	115	(1)
Novelty	116	(2)
Inferential Valid Cognitions	118	(3)
7. Moving Toward Knowledge	121	(16)
THE SEVENFOLD DIVISION	121	(12)
Wrong Consciousnesses	121	(5)
Doubting Consciousnesses	126	(1)
Non-Ascertaining Consciousnesses	127	(1)
Correctly Assuming Consciousnesses	128	(1)
Subsequent Cognizers	129	(1)
Inferential Cognizers	129	(1)
Valid Direct Perceivers	130	(3)
DIFFERENCES IN PROCESS BETWEEN WISDOM AND METHOD	133	(4)
Appendix: The Fifty-one Mental Factors	137	(2)
Notes	139	(4)
Glossary	143	(6)
Bibliography	149	(2)
Index	151	(6)
About the Authors	157	(1)
The Foundation of Buddhist Thought	158