Perspective Chapter: Association among Fantasy, Metacognition and Autobiographical Memory in Self-Compassion during Empathy and its Psycho/Neuro/Biological Basis

Abstract

The term ‘抜苦与楽 (Bakku Yoraku)’ means to remove suffering and give comfort. In Buddhism, this word means that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas save sentient beings from suffering and provide them with happiness. The qualitative difference in empathy between humans and Buddha is suggested to be related to the psychological function of self-compassion. I explore fantasy, metacognition and autobiographical memory, integral components of self-compassion during empathy, from psychological, neurological and biological perspectives. I discuss the possibility of using a picture book as an intervention for fostering fantasy. To create a new picture book, I must understand the percentages of adjectives, verbs and nouns used in the world’s most-read books. Subsequently, a new word is coined. A fantasy story is created using these words. This story should evoke warm and positive emotions, such as the Holy Bible or Buddhist scriptures. The narration of the story must be created from 1st person perspective. I hope that this article will be helpful to researchers, educators and clinicians seeking a peaceful future.