A Psychoanalytic View of the Sangha: Group Functioning in Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism

Authors

  • Kevin Volkan California State University Channel Islands

Keywords:

Psychoanalysis, Buddhism, Object Relations, Sangha, Group Psychology

Abstract

The goal of Buddhism is to gain enlightenment through the realization of the psychological basis of human suffering. Like other religions Buddhists undertake this goal together in a community known as the Sangha, which, includes lay practitioners, clergy, and various symbolic figures. While, the ostensible goal of the Sangha is to help Buddhists reach a state of religious epiphany, it also functions in a psychological fashion to moderate the regressive effects of group membership. This moderation allows the Sangha to facilitate individuation for its members while they maintain their group membership. In this way the Sangha provides a practical method for applying spiritual principals to relationships with others in the group and later, to the world at large. This paper will review classical and object relations views of group psychology and then apply these perspectives to the understanding of the Sangha.

Author Biography

Kevin Volkan, California State University Channel Islands

Kevin Volkan is a Professor of Psychology at California State University Channel Islands

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Published

2013-06-15

How to Cite

Volkan, K. (2013). A Psychoanalytic View of the Sangha: Group Functioning in Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 1(2). Retrieved from https://www.ajouronline.com/index.php/AJHSS/article/view/177

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2013): June 2013

Section

Articles

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