ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the essential principles that ground the tradition—the principles of interdependence and universal compassion. In the twenty-first century, science has begun to accept the key role cooperation has played in evolution, and to clarify the neural basis of social emotions like empathy and compassion. The great tradition of social healing offers a unique psychology of wise compassion and interpersonal effectiveness, based on the self-healing foundation of the Individual Vehicle or Theravada. The capacity for universal compassion and altruism is built into the human brain. Paul Gilbert's work has also addressed the critical role of compassion in human development. The chapter discusses the nature of the interventions, some reflections on practice, and their application to psychotherapy and social psychology. Some researchers like Tania Singer and Richard Davidson have borrowed a distinction made by Buddhist psychologists like Matthieu Ricard to explain the social emotional reactivity.
