Life Resilience Building through a Theravada Buddhist Healing Perspective

Abstract

This article explores the cultivation of life resilience through the lens of Theravāda Buddhist healing, integrating psychological theories with core Buddhist teachings to restore and strengthen the inner self amidst a fragile and suffering-laden world. Drawing upon Norman Garmezy’s Resilience Theory and Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development model, it emphasizes that resilience can be developed through both external factors-such as family, community, and education—and internal qualities like hope, faith, and adaptive capacity. Concurrently, the Theravāda Buddhist healing perspective highlights the transformation of “suffering” into “wisdom” through the disciplined training of mindfulness (sati), concentration (samādhi), and insight (paññā), employing the Noble Eightfold Path, the Threefold Training (sīla, samādhi, paññā), and the Fourfold Cultivation (kāya, sīla, citta, paññā) as structured methods for inner development. The distinctive aspect of Buddhist healing lies in viewing suffering as a teacher, understanding the three characteristics of existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self), applying reason over emotion, and training the mind through meditative practices that transform internal structures. This process generates spiritual immunity, like an “inner vaccine,” enabling individuals to cope with adversity with awareness and stability. The article argues that integrating Buddhist principles with modern psychology provides a comprehensive and sustainable approach to healing and developing life resilience—not only at the individual level but also within broader society.