A Mahayana Buddhist Teaching-based Intervention, Awareness Training Program: Its Theoretical Model And Effectiveness

Abstract

Awareness Training Program (ATP) is a novel Mahayana Buddhist teaching-based intervention pioneered by the presenters. ATP is developed in response to the growing concern that some of the mindfulness-based interventions have been developed in an “out of context” manner and the rising need to address the psychological suffering in modern societies, particularly in Hong Kong. By adopting a textually aligned approach, ATP is formulated systematically so that its theory and praxis are coherent. The theoretical foundation of ATP is rooted in the Mahayana Buddhist text of the Sandhinirmochana Sūtra, which is one of the most important texts of the Yogācāra tradition. ATP aims to enhance a person’s ability to deal with suffering by developing one’s compassion and wisdom in the form of nonattachment, which are two of Mahayana Buddhism’s fundamental practices. This presentation will outline why we regard “Mahayana Buddhist teaching,” “textually aligned” and “coherent theory and praxis” as important components to consider when formulating a Buddhist teaching-based intervention. The theoretical foundations of ATP as well as its empirical findings will also be presented.