Tibetan Buddhist Psychology

The Practice of Cultivating Bodhichitta and Maranasati

by Jennifer R. Stevens

My purpose in researching this subject was multi-faceted.  I wanted to explore the Tibetan Buddhist perspective... more My purpose in researching this subject was multi-faceted.  I wanted to explore the Tibetan Buddhist perspective regarding the process of actual dying and the transfer of consciousness (Phowa), that is believed to occur following the death and I planned to investigate the rituals and meditations associated with their understanding of death.  I, also, hoped to discover how Buddhist thought can help supplement Western practices of end-of-life care, including the methods of training, the use of rituals, and the ways of offering support to those who companion the dying.  I hope to understand ways to implement Buddhist wisdom to deepen and enrich our lives and our dying in the West, especially if a patient is open to supplementing their own spiritual path with conscious dying.  Finally, I intended to suggest some areas where further inquiry might be of benefit to the field of psychology and to the practice of working with death and dying.