The growing interest in the interface between Buddhism and
Western psychology poses helping professionals a continual
challenge—how to skilfully apply the Buddha’s teachings in
the therapy room for themselves as therapists, and with their
clients? In short, what happens if we encounter the Buddha
in the therapy room? A Zen Buddhist would probably
reply, “Kill him,” as the Buddha or Buddha-nature is
already inside each of us. But for many of us less
enlightened or less inclined to “violence,” his teachings
could provide guidelines or a raft for therapists and clients
to reach the “shore” of insight and self-understanding. In
this paper, I explore the practice of meditation in Buddhism
focusing on the aspect of mindfulness, and discuss its
benefits for therapists and clients.