Could Buddhism Develop Prosocial Behavior Among Adolescents?

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science

© 2021 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal

Volume 8 Issue 3

Year of Publication : 2021

Authors : Loc Tan Le

10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V8I3P108

How to Cite?

Loc Tan Le, "Could Buddhism Develop Prosocial Behavior Among Adolescents?," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 8,  no. 3, pp. 48-53, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V8I3P108

Abstract:

Working together with the society in halting moral decay in adolescents, some Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen monasteries in Vietnam have recently offered them Buddhist education in the form of retreat. To the best of our knowledge, there have not been any empirical studies evaluating how that works. As a result, this paper adopted mixed research methods: Surveying 140 teenagers attending the retreat at three Zen monasteries with the questionnaire and conducting 12 in-depth interviews to explore how Buddhism could develop prosocial behavior performed by the teens. The conclusion is that the teenagers’ understanding of Buddhist doctrines fueled their belief. That may result in promoting their prosocial acts. Also, their spiritual and ritual participation had a positive correlation with their prosocial behavior. This study is the first step towards conducting larger-scale studies.

Keywords:

Buddhism, adolescent, prosocial behavior, Buddhist belief, Truc Lam Zen sect

References:

[1] Le, Manh That, Lịch sử Phật giáo Việt Nam, tập 1 [Vietnamese Buddhist history, book 1]. Ho Chi Minh: Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House, (1999) 125.
[2] Tran, Van Giau, Giá trị tinh thần truyền thống của dân tộc Việt Nam [Traditionally spiritual values of the Vietnamese]. Ha Noi: National Political Publishing House, (2011) 124.
[3] Cao, Thu Hang, Phật giáo với việc giáo dục đạo đức ở Việt Nam hiện nay, [Buddhism and moral education in Vietnam at present], Journal of Philosophy, 7(278) (2014) 35-42,.
[4] Hoang, Van Chung and Pham Thi Chuyen, Giáo dục về đạo đức và lối sống của Phật giáo trong xã hội Việt Nam hiện nay, [Buddhist education in morality and lifestyle in Vietnamese society at present], Journal of Religious Studies, 3(153) (2016) 19-44,.
[5] Ngo, Phuong Lan. Tiếp cận của Phật giáo trong xây dựng nền tảng đạo đức học đường, [Buddhist approach in building setting up the base for school morality]. In Thich, Nhat Tu, Ed, Nền tảng giáo dục Phật giáo về đạo đức [The base for Buddhist moral education]. Ha Noi: Religious Publishing House (2019) 3-14.
[6] Nguyen, Phuong Chi, Những biến đổi và vai trò của giáo dục thời Trần, [The changes and the role of education under the Tran Dynasty]. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(XXII) (2006) 62-70.
[7] Tran, Thai Tong, Khóa Hư lục [Instructions on emptiness], translated and explained by Thich Thanh Tu. Ho Chi Minh: Culture-Literature and Arts Publishing House, (2017) 47-52.
[8] Thich, Thanh Tu, Tam tổ Trúc Lâm giảng giải [Three patriarchs of Truc Lam Zen sect: An explanation]. Ha Noi: Hong Duc Publishing House, (1995) 34.
[9] Nguyen, Hong Duong, Tôn giáo trong văn hóa Việt Nam [Religions in Vietnamese culture]. Ha Noi: Culture & Communication Publishing House (2013) 61.
[10] Thich, Thanh Tu, Ba vấn đề trọng đại trong đời tu của tôi [Three key issues in my life as a monk]. Ho Chi Minh: Culture-Literature and Arts Publishing House (2015), 61-80.
[11] Thich, Thanh Tu, Phụng Hoàng cảnh sách, tập 3 [The teachings in Phung Hoang, book 3]. Ha Noi: Religious Publishing House (2009) 204.
[12] Thich, Kien Nguyet, Thiền phái Trúc Lâm trên đường phục hưng và hoằng hóa-thế kỷ XXI, [Truc Lam Zen sect on the renaissance and propagation – the 21st century]. In Center for Religious Cultural Heritage Conservation, Ed, Contemporary Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. Ha Noi: Center for Religious Cultural Heritage Conservation (2019) 60-69.
[13] Afolabi, O. A., Psychological predictors of prosocial behavior among a sample of Nigerian undergraduates, European Scientific Journal, 10(2) (2014) 241-266.
[14] Tsang, J.A, Rowatt, W. C., & Shariff, A., Religion and prosociality. In D.A. Schroeder & W. G. Graziano, Eds, The Oxford handbook of prosocial behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2015) 609-625.
[15] Xygalatas, D., & Lang, M., Prosociality and religion. In N. K. Clements, Ed, Religion: Mental religion. New York: Macmillan Reference USA (2016) 119-132.
[16] Stavrova, O., & Siegers, P., Religious prosociality and morality across cultures: how social enforcement of religion shapes the effects of personal religiosity on prosocial and moral attitudes and behaviors, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40 (3) (2015) 315-333.
[17] Oh, Y. B., & Park, S. Y, Buddhist education and religious pluralism. In Thomson N. H., Ed, Religious pluralism and religious education. Birmingham: Religious Education Press (1985) 249-270.
[18] Kapogiannisa, D., Aron K. B., Michael, S., Giovanna, Z., Frank, K., & Jordan, G., Cognitive and neural foundations of religious belief, PNAS, 12(106) (2009) 4876–4881.
[19] Bicer, R. The value of the religious knowledge in the formation of faith, Kelam Arastirmalari, 8(1) (2010) 77-92.
[20] Nguyen, Thi Minh Hang, Tính tôn giáo của tính đồ Phật giáo ở Việt Nam, [Vietnamese Buddhists’ religiosity], Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity, 3(6), (2017) 707-721.
[21] Thich, Thien Hoa, Bản đồ tu Phật [The map for Buddhist cultivation]. Ha Noi: Religious Publishing House (2018) 29.
[22] Yeung, G. K. K. and Chow W., ‘To take up your own responsibility’: the religiosity of Buddhist adolescents in Hong Kong, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 1(15) (2010) 5-23.
[23] Mahaarcha, S., & Sirinan, K., Relationship between religiosity and prosocial behavior of Thai youth, Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, 13(2) (2013) 69-92.
[24] Thanissaro, P. N., Buddhist shrines: Bringing sacred context and shared memory into the home, Journal of Contemporary Religion, 33(2) (2018) 319-335.
[25] Rahula, W., What the Buddha taught. New York: Grove Press (1974) 8.
[26] Saddhatissa, H., Buddhist ethics: Essence of Buddhism. George Allen & Unwin LTD (1970) 56.
[27] Taber, K. S., The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education, Research Science Education, 48 (2018) 1273–1296.
[28] Baptist, E. C., A glimpse into the supreme science of the Buddha. Taipei: Singapore Buddhist Meditation Center (1991) vi.
[29] Thich, Thien Tam, Buddhism of wisdom & faith. New York: Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada (1993) 110.
[30] Ma, H. K., Adolescent Behavior Questionnaire (ABQ): An Introduction. Unpublished manuscript. Hong Kong Baptist University (2015).
[31] Dinh, Thi Hong Van, Hành vi lệch chuẩn của thanh thiếu niên. [Deviant behavior in adolescents], Psychology, 5(218) (2017) 8-18.
[32] Phan, Thi Mai Huong, Biểu hiện đặc trưng của sự vô cảm trong gia đình ở trẻ vị thành niên, [Characteristic expression of apathy in families among adolescents], Psychology, 8 (209) (2016) 21-33.
[33] Buddharakkhita, A., The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s path of wisdom. Kandy: Buddha Dhamar Education Association Inc (1985) 65.
[34] Bandura, A., Social learning theory. New York: General Learning Press (1971) p. 5.
[35] Nguyen, Lang, Việt Nam Phật giáo sử luận [A discussion of Vietnamese Buddhist history]. Ho Chi Minh: The Eastern Publishing House (2012) 32.
[36] Carlo, G., Crocket L. J., Randall, B. A., & Roesch, S. C., A latent growth curve analysis of prosocial behavior among rural adolescents, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17(2) (2007), 301-324.