A Study of the Applicability of the Early Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path for the Development of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Abstract
Third-wave therapies of Cognitive Behavior Therapy have adapted the Buddhist therapeutic principles to build an effective CBT approach to recovering secular miseries. Mindfulness has been the major practice utilized in third-wave therapies. However, the Buddhist literature was not adequate for mindfulness, throughout the entire Buddhist literature has presented various doctrines with a therapeutic potential. One of the undiscovered therapeutic doctrines in early Buddhism was the Noble Eightfold Path, which aligns with the therapeutic components of CBT. Considering this significance this study has explored the therapeutic value of the early Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path and developed the teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path into a therapeutic framework with synthesizing Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Teachings of the suttas highlight the Noble Eightfold Path as a pathways for the ultimate achievement of early Buddhism. However, these components can be utilized for the solving of even secular or mundane miseries. There are eight attributes in the Noble Eightfold Path and those are classified into three categories sīla, samādhi, and paññā, utilized for adapting moral behavior, purifying psychological and emotional states, and cognitive transformation as the intervention. This approach of the ENP can be adapted as a third-wave therapy of CBT, considering the significant therapeutic potential in relapse prevention, long-term recovery, and total personality development compared to the other CBT third-wave therapies. Therefore, teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path can transform into a CBT therapeutic framework and be utilized for the holistic recovery of the individual.
