The Tree of Enlightenment

ontology, which means the study of essences or, in simple terms,
the study of things in themselves. Phenomenology, in contrast,
is the description of things as they are experienced by the individual;
it is the science of epistemology, the study of things as
they are known, as they appear to us. Insofar as Buddhism is
philosophical, it is concerned primarily with phenomenology.
‘Psychology’ is the study of the mind and mental states.
Like philosophy, it has two aspects – pure psychology, which is
the general study of mental phenomena, and psychotherapy, or
applied psychology, which is the application of the study of mental
phenomena to the problem of disease and cure, disturbance
and adjustment. We might explain the difference between pure
and applied psychology by means of an analogy. Imagine that a
man climbs to the top of a hill and surveys the countryside without
any particular purpose in mind. His survey will take in every
detail – the hills, the woods, the rivers and streams – without discrimination.
But if he has a purpose in mind – for instance, if he
intends to reach another hilltop in the distance – then his survey
will focus on the particular features that will help or hinder
him in his progress toward that goal. When we speak of applied
psychology or psychotherapy, we mean a study of the mind and
mental states that focuses on those phenomena that will help or
hinder one’s progress toward mental well-being.
Having looked briefly at the definitions of religion, philosophy,
and psychology, we can begin to see that the phenomenological
aspect of philosophy and the therapeutic aspect of psychology
relate best to an understanding of the Buddha’s teaching.
e Abhidharma, like Buddhist thought in general, is highly
rational and logical. If we look closely at the methods of exposi-
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