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Buddhism is particularly relevant to mental health because Buddhist teachings often focus on the mind and development of the mind. Therefore, mental health professionals, chaplains, and pastoral counsellors (particularly those who treat Buddhist clients) should be familiar with Buddhist beliefs/practices and their relationship to mental health.
Buddhism today is the world’s fourth largest religion, with about 500 million adherents (7% of the world’s population) (WCD, 2010). About 50% live in China and most of the remainder lives in Thailand (13%), Japan (9%), Burma/Myanmar (8%), and other countries of the Asia Pacific region (Pew Research Centre, 2012a). The three branches of Buddhism today are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
Theravada Buddhism (“southern” Buddhism), the only sect that has survived in a continuous way since early times, has nearly 100 million adherents concentrated in Thailand (87% of the population is Buddhist), Burma/Myanmar (75%), Sri Lanka (69%), Laos (52%) and Cambodia (85%) (ARDA, 2016). This branch of Buddhism coexists with other religions in Southeast Asia such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and folk religions. The scripture on which all branches of Buddhism are based, particularly Theravadin Buddhism, is the Pali Canon. The Pali Canon includes the ancient teachings and practices of Buddhism from the early centuries BCE (before the common era).
Mahayana Buddhism (“Eastern Buddhism”) is the largest branch of Buddhism today. It is made up of an estimated 350 million adherents, most of whom reside in China (15% of population), Japan (56%), South Korea (25%) and Vietnam (49%) (ARDA, 2016). Similar to Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism has coexisted in East Asia with many other endogenous religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism. Zen Buddhism is part of the Mahayana tradition.
The approximately 20 million adherents to Vajrayana Buddhism are concentrated mostly in Tibet (79% of the population), Nepal (12%), Bhutan (84%) and Mongolia (54%) (ARDA, 2016). Vajrayana Buddhism, sometimes called Tibetan Buddhism or “northern” Buddhism, is also an offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is a member of this branch.
There has been growing interest in Buddhism in the United States, and with an increasing number of immigrants from Asian countries, Buddhists now make up approximately 0.07-1.9% of the U.S. adult population (based on estimates around the turn of the 21st century) (Wuthnow & Cadge, 2004). While Buddhists only make up a small percentage of the population, nearly one in eight Americans reports that Buddhist teachings or practices have had an important influence on their religion or spirituality. This is especially true for well-educated Americans (and those with well-educated parents), those living in the Northeast, non-Catholics, non-Evangelical Protestants, persons associated with the New Age movement, advocates of alternative medicine, individuals who have taken interreligious classes, and members of academic professions in the humanities and social sciences (Wuthnow & Cadge, 2004). Thus, mental health professionals in the U.S. who see patients with these demographics (or Asians) need to know something about Buddhism and its relationship with mental health.
In this small book, I first examine the person of the Buddha and the historical time period during which Buddhism arose. I then describe the beliefs and practices of Buddhists, and examine what Buddhists believe and practice today (based on original data collected from three national and cross-national datasets). Considering these Buddhist beliefs and practices, I then speculate on the relationship between religiosity and mental health, hypothesising both positive and negative effects. To put these speculations to the test, I conduct a review of quantitative research on religiosity and mental health in Buddhists (along with a comparison of mental health in Buddhists and non-Buddhists). Both early research published prior to 2010 (based on a systematic review) is presented and recent research published during the past decade is described. As part of the latter, I present information based on an original analysis of worldwide datasets comparing the well-being of Buddhists and non-Buddhists and examining the relationship between religiosity and well-being in Buddhists. Finally, I make suggestions for mental health and religious professionals on how to apply this knowledge about Buddhist beliefs/practices and the findings from systematic research to the treatment of Buddhist clients.
The primary audiences for this book are mental health professionals and clergy who are called upon to help Buddhists deal with emotional and other mental health problems. However, given the careful attention to documentation, emphasis on research, and report of original research results, investigators who conduct studies in Buddhist populations, as well as healthcare systems that provide services to Buddhist clients, will also find this volume useful. Finally, lay Buddhists more generally will discover that the information contained here may be both enlightening and faith enhancing.
Please join me in this brief review of Buddhist teachings, objective examination of the relationship between Buddhism and mental health, and discussion of how this information can be integrated into the care of Buddhists that will not only address emotional problems but also strengthen faith and enhance the joy and meaning of life.