The book bases Buddhist psychology on a sophisticated and thoroughgoing empiricism. Jamesean psychological concepts are used in order to clarify the Buddhist ideas. The first part of the book outlines the principles of psychology that can be traced to the Buddha himself with detailed comparison to James. The second part dealt with the understanding of these principles by later disciples of Buddha. The substantial appendices present analyses of Maitreya’s Madhyanatavibhaga and Vasubandhu’s Vijnapatimatratasiddhi.

“Despite the exotic character of its content for Western readers, the book is written in a clear and accessible prose. It is very detailed introduction to the most interesting features of Buddhist thought.”

John J. McDermott, Texas A&M University major contribution to Buddhist studies, giving a refreshing and daring interpretation of some of the Buddhist doctrine that has grown stale from dated sources and ideas” Diana Yoshikawa Paul.

David J. Kalupahana is Professor of Philosophy at the University Hawaii.

Preface

Several books dealing with Buddhist psychology have appeared since Mrs. C. A. F. Rhys Davids highlighted the importance of psychological analysis in the Buddha’s teachings (see Buddhist Psychology, London: G. Bell and Sons, 1914). More recently, the Buddha’s psychological speculations have been compared with those of modern psychologists and psychoanalysts (see M.W. Padmasiri de Silva, Buddhist and Freudian Psychology, Colombo: Lake House Investments, 1978). Even a world-renowned psychoanalyst got heavily involved inn the study of Buddhist psychology (see D. T. Suzuki, Erich From and Robert De Martino, Zen Buddhism and P