About Applied Buddhist Psychology

Buddhism can be understood as a religion, a philosophy, an educational system, and a science. It is a vast system of knowledge that has been evolving for thousands of years as it has expanded from its roots in the Himalaya across India, China, Southeast Asia and Japan and is now finding its home in many places in the west. The evolution of Buddhist thought is driven in part by the way it absorbs wisdom systems in new geographical regions as it is carried into new cultures which it, in turn, informs.

The Applied Buddhist psychology program, offered exclusively by The Foundation of the Sacred Stream, is a flowering of this evolution as it applies time-honored principles of Buddhist philosophy to modern psychological dilemmas such as psychological isolation, a lack of self-compassion, and hopelessness.

A Letter of Recognition from Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. Gucciardi,

I am writing this note to express my deep appreciation and admiration of the amazing work your foundation has done over two decades decade now. Your foundation’s rootedness in the rich Tibetan Buddhist tradition with an explicit aim of adapting traditional insights and practices to address the needs and challenges of life in today’s complex society place you in an exceptional position to help so many today. Coming out of a long pandemic, many are suffering from challenges of mental wellbeing, and you and your colleagues work at the foundation have and will continue to provide solace and tools for many. So, as someone who has had the honor to teach to your community, I would like to express my profound gratitude to you Dr. Gucciardi especially for your leadership and teaching.

As a Tibetan and someone who has devoted his life to preserving and disseminating the knowledge, culture, and art of Tibetan tradition, let me also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for hosting important Tibetan monastic teachers at your foundation. With your foundation’s special connection with Ganden Monastery and its Dokhang Khangtsen monks, in particular, you have hosted the monks of Ganden Dokhang, the former abbot of Gyuto Monastery, and other Tibetan teachers, including myself, as well as experts in the traditional Tibetan art of healing. By hosting such teachers and monks, you are offering your fellow Americans an opportunity to have access to these teachers and monks. This in itself is an important contribution. So do please continue with your work as before, and please do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything I could do to assist you in your foundation’s work.

With regards and profound appreciation,

Yours sincerely,
Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.

President, Institute of Tibetan Classics
Adjunct Professor, School of Religious Studies, McGill University
Principal Translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama

Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.