불교의 흥기나 아론 벡(Aaron Beck)의 치료이론은 기존의 체계에 대한 비판에서 비롯된다. 이러한 맥락에서 붓다의 설법 배경과 아론 벡의 인지치료의 형성 배경을 역사적인 관점에서 살펴보면 공통적인 요소를 찾을 수 있다. 아론 벡은 전문의로 정신 질환을 해결하고자 인지치료라는 의료체계를 개발하였고 붓다는 중생의 고통 해결이라는 것에 초점을 두었기에 둘 다 고통의 해결이라는 공통 목표를 지니게 되는 것이다. 본고에선 역사적인 관점에서, 즉 두 체계의 형성 과정에 초점을 맞추어 3가지 공통 사항을 논의하였다. 첫째 불교나 인지치료 모두 현재를 문제 해결의 출발점으로 두고 있다는 것이다. 붓다가 과거의 행위에 초점을 두지 않는 것이나 아론 벡이 아동기의 기억에 역점을 두지 않고 지금 여기에서의 문제를 그 출발점으로 삼는 것은 치료적인 효율이라는 관점에서 유익하다. 둘째 붓다나 아론 벡은 그릇된 사고가 고통의 원인이라고 진단한 점에선 동일하다. 불교에선 12지연기, 3학, 3독 등의 붓다의 주요 가르침은 모두 인지적이다. 고통의 원인을 무명(無明)에 두고 있으며 문제해결을 지혜에 두고 있다는 점에서 붓다의 가르침은 근본적으로 인지적이다. 아론 벡은 환자의 정서 문제는 왜곡된 인지과정에 있다고 진단하고 있다. 인지왜곡을 교정함으로써 환자의 정서문제를 치유할 수 있다고 전제한다. 셋째 붓다와 아론 벡은 환자의 주체적인 노력을 강조한다. 붓다는 제자들에게 ‘길을 가르치는 안내자’로 자신을 소개하고 있다. 목표지점까지 사람을 업어서 데리고 가지 않는다. 붓다는 단지 목표 지점에 이르는 길을 보여 줄 뿐이다. 중생 각자의 자주적인 노력을 강조한다. 인지치료도 환자 스스로의 노력이 가장 중요한 핵심이 된다. 환자의 지적인 오류를 스스로 깨닫게 되는 것이 치료 과정의 출발점이다. 아무리 상담자가 환자에게 환자의 인지 왜곡을 설명해 준다고 하더라도 환자가 자신의 인지 오류를 제대로 보지 못한다면 치료는 이루어지지 않는다. 환자의 자주적인 노력이 치료에 핵심적인 관건이 된다.

By the time of the Buddha, there were so many religions in addition to Brahmanism. The Buddha did not give a new divine book to his followers; nor did he condemn any fundamental belief of the Brahmanical religion. At the same time he criticised the concept of karma in Jainism. Aaron Beck became disillusioned with long-term psychodynamic approaches based on gaining insight into unconscious emotions and drives. His cognitive approach came into conflict with the behaviourism ascendant at the time, which denied that talk of mental causes was scientific or meaningful, rather than simply assessing stimuli and behavioural responses. As Buddhism arose against pre-existent Brahmanism and Samana thouhgts, so did Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy against pre-exisetnt Psycho-analysis and Behaviour therapy. In this regard we can discern the common ground on which the Buddha's teachings and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy stand firmly. This article has discussed the three common elements between Buddhism and Cognitive therapy. First, the Buddha and Aaron Beck put a great emphasis on the present. They both tackle the psychological problems from here and now, not from the past life of sentient beings or the past events of patients. They do not a worry about circumstances here or hereafter, but concern about mental states here and now. Second the Buddha and Aaron Beck seek a solution in the cognitive process. As the Buddha regards the origin of suffering as ignorance, so Aaron Beck diagnoses the cause of mental problems as cognitive errors such as arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, over-generalization, and magnification (of negatives) and minimization (of positives). The Buddha and Beck agree to the solution that finds a right thinking. Third Buddhism and Cognitive therapy assert that patients should be self-reliant without depending on others. In Buddhism, the Buddha is regarded as a helper, not as a saviour when he says that he only shows the way to peace but he cannot take one to peace by carrying him. Buddhism is not dependent on blind faith and worship but on the understanding of experience through the use of human intelligence. Cognitive therapy trains patients to be a self-therapist. In the end, patients can be responsible for solving their problems.

By the time of the Buddha, there were so many religions in addition to Brahmanism. The Buddha did not give a new divine book to his followers; nor did he condemn any fundamental belief of the Brahmanical religion. At the same time he criticised the concept of karma in Jainism. Aaron Beck became disillusioned with long-term psychodynamic approaches based on gaining insight into unconscious emotions and drives. His cognitive approach came into conflict with the behaviourism ascendant at the time, which denied that talk of mental causes was scientific or meaningful, rather than simply assessing stimuli and behavioural responses. As Buddhism arose against pre-existent Brahmanism and Samana thouhgts, so did Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy against pre-exisetnt Psycho-analysis and Behaviour therapy. In this regard we can discern the common ground on which the Buddha's teachings and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy stand firmly. This article has discussed the three common elements between Buddhism and Cognitive therapy. First, the Buddha and Aaron Beck put a great emphasis on the present. They both tackle the psychological problems from here and now, not from the past life of sentient beings or the past events of patients. They do not a worry about circumstances here or hereafter, but concern about mental states here and now. Second the Buddha and Aaron Beck seek a solution in the cognitive process. As the Buddha regards the origin of suffering as ignorance, so Aaron Beck diagnoses the cause of mental problems as cognitive errors such as arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, over-generalization, and magnification (of negatives) and minimization (of positives). The Buddha and Beck agree to the solution that finds a right thinking. Third Buddhism and Cognitive therapy assert that patients should be self-reliant without depending on others. In Buddhism, the Buddha is regarded as a helper, not as a saviour when he says that he only shows the way to peace but he cannot take one to peace by carrying him. Buddhism is not dependent on blind faith and worship but on the understanding of experience through the use of human intelligence. Cognitive therapy trains patients to be a self-therapist. In the end, patients can be responsible for solving their problems.

The Buddha, Aaron Beck, Cognitive Therapy, cognitive. present, self-reliant.