ABSTRACT
This research aimed to (1.) To compare the quality of life of patients before
and  after  participating  in  group  counseling  through  Buddhist  approach under  the
Dhamma Raksa Jai program. (2.) To study the effects of Buddhist group counseling to
improve the quality of life of patients under the Doctrine Healing Clinic.
The population and the samples used in this study are the patients under
the Doctrine  Healing  Clinic,  project of the  Faculty  of  Medicine,  Vajira  Hospital.
Nawaminthrachinuthit  University  for  the  year  2012  who  were  chronically  ill.  The
sample consisted of 15 patients selected  specifically and through volunteering. The
tool  used  to  collect  the  data  was  divided  into  two  parts:  the  Buddhist  group
counseling plan to improve the quality of life which the researcher created based on
texts, journals, and the 15 questions questionnaire to measure the happiness of Thai
people created by the Department of Mental Health” For data analysis the research
used descriptive statistics, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Paired Samples
Test was used to compare the quality of life of patients under the Doctrine Healing
Clinic before and after participating in Buddhist group counseling.
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The findings showed as follows.
The  mean  score  of  happiness  after  the  Buddhist  group  counseling  to
improve the quality of the patients under the Doctrine Healing Clinic increased to
0.05 from the mean score of happiness before the Buddhist group counseling at 0.01
The results of the Buddhist group counseling to improve the quality of
life of the patients under the Doctrine Healing Clinic program are:
On  the  physical  development,  the  sample  did  physical  exercises  to
recognize the sense organs such as hands, feet, eyes, both bodily a nd verbally, the
relationship between the body and physical environment in the way to attain true
benefits from the nature in the right manner.
On the development of morality, the sample observed the Five Precepts
in order to foster a genial relationship with human fellows in the society in an orderly
and  systematically  manner,  to  express  appropriately,  to  have  disciplines  and
correctly follow the way of Buddhism to improve the quality of life of the patients.
On  the  development  of  mind,  the  samples  practiced  Anussati  and
Kayanussati (the mindfulness of the body), to see the cause of suffering or kamma
and paticcasamuppada or the process of the cessasion. All occurrences have causes,
resulting in the sufferings which are risen from bad kamma. Therefore, if one desires
happiness, one must perform good kamma which is the cause of happiness.
On  the  development  of  wisdom  or  knowledge  and  understanding,  the
patients  were  advised  to  learn  to  be  with  the  present  and  not  distort  the  reality
through biases, to understand the nature of sickness and the wisdom to recognize
the nature of beings until the mind was completely free from sufferings.