Robin Hood Analysed

Whatever your view of psychology, like it or not, it has entered the mainstream of public consciousness. Only after studying the subject does it become clear just have far academic terms, phrases and concepts from Freud, Yung and others have filtered down into the common understanding of the ’self’. Listening to Dhamma talks by masters [...]

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Mind of Brain

One cornerstone of Buddhism, and probably all religion, is that something survives death.
The fact that all religions, and many psuedo religion teaches so should imply there is some truth to the matter. The fact they all disagree on the matter should imply that we really don’t know what is going on.
In Buddhist terms, there is [...]

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The Carpenter’s Peg

On our June Weekend Retreat we watched the documentary on Louise Hay – which relates to the theme of the meditation we had been doing; watching ones thoughts.
Louise Hay is an eighty year old ‘new age’ inspirational speaker and spiritual guide to thousands, if not millions. Certainly her books have reportedly sold over 35 million [...]

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Handy Meditation

Much of meditation is learning to put your attention where you want to put it.
This way you can govern your perceptions, see the way you create suffering by grasping, and take back some control putting wisdom ahead of the unruly mind. Secondly you can deliberately focus attention on certain perceptions that foster wisdom and good [...]

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The Commentator

[Summary: Are you really in control of your actions? Comments on recent neurological research into the process of decision making]
Wired magazine is running an article on yet more research into the brain and the nature of conscious experience – a topic well introduced by Dr Holly at the WBU in April 2008. The topic is [...]

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Disorientation

[Summary: link to a goofy experiment at Grand Central Station in New York]
All social animals, especially humans, have expectations of how the work should be. While everything is going along the way we anticipate, most of the time, we are lost in thought about this and that. Travelling is a good opportunity to see people [...]

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Zeitgeist

[Summary: Does morality come from religion or does religion just reflect the zeitgeist/yardstick of the times? Richard Dawkins' POV, and introducing the new blog category of psychology and dhamma.] 
Zeitgeist
“New Athiest” Richard Dawkins talked in the ‘Beyond Belief’ symposium in the US about the shifting ‘Zeitgeist’; which means ‘spirit of the times’. His argument is that morality [...]

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W.B.U. Forum Sun 4th November

Constructing the World 
On Sunday 4th of November Cittasamvaro (my good self) Bhikkhu will be leading the Sunday forum at the World Buddhist University, Midday-1:30 pm. Topic:
Constructs and Emptiness.
In depression era Kansas a ground breaking psychologist George Kelly formulated a new highly pragmatic approach to psychology vastly different from the Freudian and Behaviourist schools of the [...]

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Rites and Rituals

[Summary: Psychological research demonstrates that various hidden factors determine moods. Relates to rites and rituals which have a hidden effect ]
While psychology and Buddhism are two different disciplines, both have things to learn from each other. In particular there are often peices of research in psychology that cast light upon the mind and mental processes. [...]

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