Editorial
Peter Malinowski & Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson
This is the first volume of BuddhaMind, an online journal dedicated to writings at the intersection between Buddhism and Psychology. The contributors to the journal are all students on the Psychology and Buddhism module which is part of the online MSc Programme Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. Writing an article and partaking in the review process for the journal is part of the assessment for this module.
The current volume presents what the first students who took that module produced in 2006. Here we find five articles - all of them of quite high quality. They cover a wide range of topics, giving a taste of how vast the areas are that Buddhism and Psychology touch upon.
Arranged in alphabetical order, this volume starts of with imagining the end of life! Dorsett explores the relevance of death and reflection about it from a Buddhist perspective and the possible benefits of integrating this perspective into the health care setting. Gallagher then continues with contemplating the capacity of beauty to induce beyond-conceptual states of awareness or 'pure consciousness'. Gillard then adds a fairly philosophical perspective by investigating the Buddhist concept of 'no-self', 'anatta' or 'anatman' and in an intelligent way brings together western psychological and buddhist perspectives. Then the most central topic of Buddhism - how happiness or well-being can be achieved - is addressed. Gorecki's article highlights that also Western Psychology concerns itself with this topic more and more and increasingly draws from Buddhist sources. The volume is rounded off by a second article on happiness, provided by Smith. The fact that well-being and happiness indeed are at the very centre of overlapping interests in psychology and Buddhism is highlighted by these last two articles convincingly.
Overall, we are very pleased to make this first volume of BuddhaMind accessible and in this way to share some of the exciting discourse taking place at the intersection between Buddhism and Psychology.
The reader should keep in mind that the articles were produced as an assignment for one specific module. The articles are reprinted in the way they have been prepared by the students. As this assignment was running for the first time in 2006 there are still some slight inconsistencies regarding structure, style and referencing that hopefully will be rectified in the next volume which will appear in summer 2008.
I hope that reading the articles is of interest, showcases the relevance of Buddhist thought and practice for a modern psychology and also sparks some curiosity in the reader.
