The Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives (BIA), Bangkok
September 24 (Sunday), 2023 14:00-17:30
In Buddhism, the goal of the path is clearly envisioned as nirvana. In modern psychotherapy, however, what is the ultimate goal of all our efforts? Is it a healthy sense of self? Is it to lessen the burden or power of the ego? Many people today both East and West are exploring the potentials of harmonizing modern psychotherapy and Buddhism. However, if their ultimate goals are divergent, can they really complement each other? The Buddha’s goal was not to just solve our problems but to connect them and our dukkha to spiritual goals. Buddhist psychotherapy thus seeks to develop a spiritual path out of worldly suffering to something greater, even the meaning of death. With such an orientation, modern psychotherapy can become more holistic and go beyond the focus on short term behavioral goals or the rather unclear longer term goals of a well-adjusted ego. This symposium will not only offer ideas and perspectives on this topic, but the panel of expert practitioners will describe methods and techniques for bridging from the psychotherapeutic to the spiritual, such as the kinds of language, tools, and conversations employed.
Keyote Speaker: Dr. Prawate Tantipiwatanaskul (Thailand)
Dr. Prawate is a leading practitioner in the art of harmonized modern psychotherapy and Buddhism in Thailand. He received his medical training from Chiangmai University, psychiatric training from Mahidol University, and completed his Master of Public Health from the University of Queensland, Australia. After he finished his training, he spent three months as a Buddhist monk in a forestry monastery in Northeastern Thailand. He has been practicing and applying mindfulness in his personal life, his clinical service, and his public education and training programs. see the text of his talk here. & the 360 degree video
Panel Discussion Speakers: click here for their responses
- Rev. Masazumi Shojun Okano (Japan) is the 3rd President of the Kodo Kyodan Buddhist Fellowship, a modern lay denomination based on the teachings of the ancient Japanese Tendai denomination. After receiving a doctorate in Sociology of Religion from Oxford University in the U.K., he has been involved in an ecumenical movement of Buddhist priests in Japan engaging in suicide prevention as well as trauma experienced in the great tsunami of 2001.
- Elaine Yuen (U.S.A.) was Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Master of Divinity Program at Naropa University, a Buddhist based university in Boulder, Colorado founded by Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa. She continues to present programs exploring the interfaces between Buddhism, meditation, creativity, contemplative care-giving, and Buddhist chaplaincy.
- Rev. Gustav Ericsson is a Christian priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden. He is especially trained in pastoral counseling for crisis and grief, and one of his main interests is the meeting of meditation practice with pastoral care. Since 2010, he has also served as a counseling priest with the Lutheran Church’s national suicide prevention hotline. In 2004, he received Dharma transmission from Japanese Soto Zen teacher Gudo Nishijima Roshi.
Sponsoring Organizations:
- Mahidol University Master of Arts Program in Contemplative Education
- The Gilanadhamma Group of Budhdist monks for end-of-life care
- The International Buddhist Psychotherapy & Suicide Prevention Network, affiliated with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists
