The Buddhist Attitude towards Loss: Integrating Noble Eightfold Path as Therapy for Coping with Loss
Tri Saputra Medhacitto, Sanu Mahatthanadull
Jurnal Nyanadassana Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Sosial dan Keagamaan June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.59291/jnd.v5i1.169 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative content analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Coping psychology Gautama buddha Disengagement theory Path analysis statistics Psychotherapist Path computing |
| Key findings | The Noble Eightfold Path can be used as a way for coping with loss, presenting the way to adopt the proper attitude when facing loss and to manage negative emotions. |
Abstract
This research aims to explore the Buddhist attitude towards loss and to examine the integration of Noble Eightfold Path as therapy for coping with loss. This research adopts library approach conducted using content analysis as the primary method for data interpretation. Following Miles and Huberman’s analytical model, the process consists of four stages: data collection, data reduction, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusions. Data were collected from both primary sources, including the Pali Canon and its commentaries, and secondary sources, such as scholarly books and journal articles accessed via Google Scholar. The research findings revealed that: 1) Loss and separation from the loved one are inevitable experiences of human life, and Buddhism considers it as a kind of suffering (piyehi vippayogo dukkho); 2) The Buddha identified the path leading to cessation of this suffering is through Noble Eightfold Path, consisting right view (sammādiṭṭhi), right thought (sammāsaṅkappo), right speech (sammāvācā), right action (sammākammanto), right livelihood (sammāājīvo), right effort (sammāvāyāmo), right mindfulness (sammāsati) and right concentration (sammāsamādhi). The path is called as Middle Way (majjhimā paṭipadā), avoiding two extreme practices: self-mortification and sensual-indulgence. This teaching is effective in reducing the risk of self-indulgence and self-destructive behavior caused by emotional turmoil when facing loss. The Noble Eightfold Path (ariya atthaṅgika magga) can be used as a way for coping with loss, presenting the way to adopt the proper attitude when facing the loss and to manage the negative emotions.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |