This undergradiate thesis attempts to illuminate the question whether, and how, can philosophical discourses, such as Chan buddhism, offer helpful tools for use in therapy. There has been a lot of empirical research on this topic done, but this research often takes Chan buddhism out of its cultural-historical context and equates it with meditation. This thesis therefore tries to illuminate the usefulness of philosophical concepts, that historically originate from the cultural background of Chan buddhism. Banicki tries to present a conceptual model of philosophical therapy, and this thesis further places buddhist philosophy in this model, which serves as a conceptual framework for Chan buddhism. A historical overview of buddhism and Chan buddhism in China is then presented. Within discourses that define chan buddhism as a religion, this thesis interprets Chan buddhism as a philosophy. In China, as in the European and American circles, the encounter between Chan buddhism and therapy occurs in the so-called field of "buddhist psychology." For therapeutic contexts, the concept of "attachment" and the concept of "non-self" prove to have the potential to be used. In addition, the concept of "non-self" could also have great useful value in existential therapy. The moral precepts of Chan buddhism and the concept of "formless precepts" are also of great value for psychological health. To all these concepts, Chan meditation serves only as a tool. However, all of these proposed approaches to using the concepts of Chan buddhism in therapy stem from a theoretical basis, and an empirical basis is critically lacking in research circles. Therefore, this thesis can serve as a cue for further empirical research.
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