title: Self-immolation, suicide and self-harm in Buddhist and Western traditions.
abstract: There are significant points of similarity between considerations of self-harm and suicide in Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions, including qualified acceptance of certain forms of self-harm, altruism as a motivation for suicide, and self-immolation as a form of political protest. Differences include specific contexts in which certain forms of self-harm are accepted and the predominant frameworks used to interpret such acts. The integration of Buddhist concepts of dukkha (unsatisfactoriness or suffering) and sati (mindfulness) into Western psychotherapeutic paradigms represents a significant point of convergence between the two traditions, and suggests the possibility of greater dialogue and therapeutic benefit in the future.
authors: Department of Adult Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, 62/63 Eccles Street, Dublin 7, Republic of Ireland. brendankelly35@gmail.com
authors: Brendan D
authors: BD
authors: Kelly
mesh_terms: D002016:Buddhism / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D002835:Christianity / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007564:Japan; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*