상담 및 심리치료에서 본 염불의 의미 - 柳宗悅의 『南無阿彌陀佛』을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Human desire has spawned the development of technology, but desire is not satisfied. Thus, the problem of human alienation is occurring. For this purpose, it is necessary to enact ethics based on Buddhist teachings. This paper refers to the ‘empathetic humans‘. as a new paradigm of this era and suggests the direction of the impact mitigation through Buddhist belief. Today, we raise the question of how to understand the meaning of Buddhist prayer, the relationship between he prayer and Buddhist saints, and sought to suggest potential for new understanding, focused on Yanagi Soetsu‘s Namo Amituofo. As a result, the study found that the meaning of Buddhist prayer viewed from the angles of counselling and psychotherapy would play a significant role in building empathetic relations, the power of communication and healing, further alliance for healing. Praying of Namo Amituofo is Buddhist prayer as an answer to the faith as well as the resonance prompted from Amitabha. Also empathy means to understand the feelings of others and plays an important role in our mutually-dependent relationships. Buddhist prayer also enables the communication, which is pursuant of the stage of resonance beyond empathy. Recommending Buddhism to others while we live is a way for coexistence as mentioned at Pure Land Buddhism. Along the way, a resonance triggers another one and empathy evolves into ‘resonating empathy‘. Buddhist prayer can be used as a therapy and may provide new ideas and skills to improve human welfare. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop psychological counseling based on the development of healing meditation contents through Buddhist prayer and the idea of Pure Land Buddhism. It is not only valuable as a new propagandistic alternative to Korean Buddhism, but it can be another way of propaganda.