Buddhist Empirical Psychology (BEP) is the result of the interchange between the Buddha's teachings and the science of psychology since the latter's inception - in 1879 by Wilhelm Wundt - until the present day. It is a new discipline of applied science meant for seekers of inner freedom from existential suffering nobody can escape from (or not become entangled in), while searching for answers on the human predicament: disease, decay and death. The adjective Buddhist refers to the teaching as originally espoused by Gautama the Buddha ('kill him if you meet him on the road') some 2500 years ago that is taken to be non-theistic and non-metaphysical. A bird's eye review highlights the teaching as revealed down through the ages on how to arrive at Buddhahood, which means nothing more than a fully functioning human being who is awakened and contented (not a Buddhist perse). This inheres in the quintessential insight of one's own responsibility for emotional destinies and intentional behaviors ( karma). An inchoate psychology is distilled from the Buddha's discourses in the Theravada scriptures (teaching of the elders: 500 - 0 BC) and from Mahayana scriptures (superior vehicle: 0 - now), including Chan/Zen (500 - now) and Tibetan traditions (700 - now). In this context BEP is the fourth vehicle, transcultural and empirical rather than Western, for which the names Neoyana and NeoZEN were coined. The term empirical has a threefold meaning here. Firstly, it denotes the central tenet in the teaching known as 'the three empirical marks of existence' (impermanence, suffering, not-self) observable in a second person, 'inter-subjective' psychological perspective. Secondly, it refers to 'subjective' inner phenomena (like e.g. a pink elephant) accessible only by the mind's eye (the Buddha's 6th sense) able to introspect consciousness' content in a first person perspective. Thirdly, it includes an 'objective' third person, evidence-based stance that is characteristic for a scientific (cognitive-behavioural) approach. Encompassing these three perspectives in comparing Buddhist and empirical psychology, the two disciplines are bridged by a new definition of empirical that includes the observations by one's sixth sense. This mind's eye is to be awakened (like sexuality in puberty) and developed by training in enlightening the darkness of ignorance, greed and hate. Such forms are a natural part of human beings’ adult development, for which coaching in heartfelt mindfulness and insight meditation is necessary. This will effect the discovery of one’s own Buddha nature. If developed collectively, it might ignite a quantum leap in humanity’s evolution from animality to wisdom and in spreading Buddhahood across different cultures. BEP is meant to regenerate the Buddhist teaching, which has not been basically rejuvenated for a thousand years. It bridges behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism with the Buddhist 'self-deconstructing' art and skill of liberation that include absorption and Flow ( wuwei) leading to the 'Zone of Bliss' ( satori) in daily living. To this end a hedonic calculus has been formulated to be used as a transcultural algorithm. Many questions remain open, among others: Can there be knowledge beyond perception? Can a soteriology be scientific? Can applied science be culture-free? How can BEP help to construct Buddhas? How can societies benefit from BEP? How can BEP make love and peace go round in the world? This section is meant to present an innovation and reproduction of the Buddha's teaching in a framework of applied psychology and to discuss the many issues and questions as formulated above.
