A conference was held in Taiwan on the topics relevant to Tibetan Buddhism and Psychotherapy.
Taipei: The Office of Tibet in Taiwan, with support from the Kelsangmind Counselling Centre, held a one-and-a-half-day conference on Tibetan Buddhism and Psychotherapy at the Taiwan Cultural University Auditorium on 30 November and 1 December.
The conference invited Yangten Rinpoche, the Secretary of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with Tibetan scholars in Taiwan who are proficient in Chinese, including Geshe Zilkar Rinpoche, Geshe Chowang, and Geshe Jamphel Choezin. The event brought together Taiwanese mental health professionals and psychoanalysts, focusing on youth social issues and exploring approaches to addressing them.
The conference meeting was chaired by consulting psychologist Chenjialing, director of the Kelsangmind Counselling Centre, and Geshe Jamphel Choezin, a former Buddhist philosophy teacher at the Office of Tibet.
The opening ceremony featured speeches by Representative Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa from the Office of Tibet and Wangrenbang, chairman of the Taiwan Psychoanalytic Association.
Representative Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa highlighted the significant work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the past 30 years in fostering discussions between Tibetan Buddhism and science, both in Western countries and globally. He praised the successful implementation of these efforts within the Taiwanese Chinese community and expressed strong support and hope for future initiatives. He emphasised that Tibetan religious communities in Taiwan must not only continue traditional religious practices but also adapt to modern social needs in order to ensure the longevity of their teachings.
The first session then explored the applicability of Tibetan Buddhist logic reasoning that can be used in mental health treatment. First, Geshe Jamphel Choezin and Chenjialing debated according to Buddhist dialectical style on the ancient Chinese proverb, “When distant friends arrive, one feels especially joyful”.
Subsequently, Geshe Jamphel Choezin and Geshe Chowang debated in Chinese. Following this, the participating lamas, including Yangten Rinpoche and other scholars and mental health professionals (psychotherapists and psychologists), engaged in intense questioning.
Afterwards, Geshe Zilkar Rinpoche gave a detailed introduction to the origin of Buddhist logical reasoning, how it benefits learning, and how it can be applied to other subjects.
During the second session, after two relevant psychiatrists, Tang Shouzhi and Weng Xinkai, introduced their experiences with psychological treatment methods and procedures, the participating Tibetan Buddhist Geshes asked questions, leading to mutual understanding and exchange of experiences.
The third session in the afternoon was a cross-disciplinary discussion led by Professor Huang Ruibing. It featured a dialogue between Kyabje Yangten Rinpoche, psychologist Dr Huang Yanxun, and Dr Weng Xinkai. Through a comparative discussion of Tibetan Buddhist and psychotherapy practices, a thorough exchange of questions and answers has been conducted regarding the causes of mental health issues among young people today and discussed potential solutions through in-depth question and answer exchanges.
The main speaker for the second day’s lecture was Kyabje Yangten Rinpoche, and the discussant was the renowned clinical psychologist Dr Liu Huiqing. Rinpoche gave a talk for over an hour on how excessive desire and anger lead to mental difficulties in Buddhism and how to address them. The discussant then connected Rinpoche’s statements and discussed how to incorporate each other’s good points and how this could greatly benefit the treatment of psychology and psychoanalysis.
Following this, the participants posed an array of questions to Rinpoche, to which he provided insightful and satisfying answers. As a result, everyone unanimously called for such discussion conferences to continue in the future.
After Rinpoche presented a token of appreciation to the relevant conference organisers, the symposium concluded successfully. However, outside in the courtyard, instead of dispersing, the participants gathered around Rinpoche and the Geshes, asking various questions.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Taiwan
