Diploma in Buddhist Counselling

Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to,

1. Recognize knowledge about the fundamentals of Buddhist teachings related to counseling.
2. Produce creative and logical thinkers who identify the Buddhist methods of counseling
3. Analyze and compare the modern counseling principles with Buddhist methods of counseling, with practical value and applicability
4. Interpret the counseling values found in the early Pali literature
5. Assess sufficient knowledge on Buddhist counseling that could be used to resolve psychological and social problems in the global context

The main essence of Buddhism, the fundamental teachings of the historical Buddha and the core of all major branches of Buddhism, is psychology, not religion or philosophy. In the recent decade with the emergence of positive psychology; more and more American and European researchers are paying attention on the study of Buddhist Psychology especially with regard to mindfulness training and its application. In other words, Buddhist psychology is a science of mind, which studies the specific Buddhist approaches to mind. Hence, the purpose of this course is to provide the knowledge and the values found in the Pāli literature. 

The course content is based on the nature of human being with reference to early Buddhist teachings, the analysis of mental illnesses and problematic behaviors, the relevance of basic Buddhist teachings for counseling purposes, therapeutic theories and approaches of Buddhist Counseling, the qualifications of the Buddhist Counselor, utterances of Buddhist disciples who had gained fulfillment, Buddhist meditation and the Brahmavihāras and the importance of Buddhist Counseling for resolving psychological and social problems in the global context.

The Diploma in Buddhist counselling is available to anyone who is interested in Buddhist studies and the working of the human mind. The diploma provides the foundation year of studies for those wishing to train to work in the mental health area as Buddhist Counsellors. The Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies has designed this course incorporating Buddhist insights into western counseling theory and practice.