The purpose of life is to be happy, and one's own mental attitude is the most influential factor in working toward that goal. In order to change conditions outside ourselves, whether they concern the environment or relations with others, we must first change inside ourselves. Inner peace is the key, and Buddhism offers a path to that inner peace. Recently, psychotherapists have begun to explore the possibilities of employing Buddhist teachings in a therapeutic context. Drawing on his own experience as a patient, mediator, and therapist, Mark Epstein argues that the contemplative traditions of the East help patients go beyond merely recognizing their problems to healing them. Far from being at odds with the psychodynamic method, such an approach is in fact just what the doctor might order.
As patients and therapists find themselves reaching for new solutions to their problems, the traditional distinctions between matters of the mind and matters of the spirit are increasingly being questioned. This program is a major contribution to the explosion of discussion about how Eastern spirituality can enhance Western psychology.