Spiritual Care for Buddhist Students in Higher Education
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Join the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab in collaboration with the Maitreya Association for Buddhist Chaplains for a dynamic online forum exploring Spiritual Care for Buddhist Students in Higher Education. This session offered a thoughtful introduction to the unique contours of Buddhist student experience, blending contemplative practice, pastoral care, and inter-faith dialogue in the university environment.
Participants engaged with case studies and innovative care models to learn how to cultivate meaningful connection, inclusive support, and sustainable chaplaincy structures for Buddhist young adults navigating academic, personal and spiritual growth. Whether you are already working with Buddhist students or seeking to deepen your capacity for care across traditions, this webinar provides both practical tools and an invitation into community-building for thoughtful, responsive spiritual ministry.
The eBook mentioned in this webinar is available here.
In a time marked by mental health crises and increasing social stratification, our work is more urgent than ever. College years are pivotal for spiritual exploration, and young adults today face unprecedented challenges related to mental health, identity, and belonging. While various religious traditions have established robust campus chaplaincy programs, Buddhism remains largely underrepresented. The Maitreya Association aims to bridge this gap through empowering chaplains, connecting seekers, supporting heritage Buddhists, and building community.
Jonathan Makransky is the Multireligious Ministry Initiatives Coordinator at Harvard Divinity School, where he manages the activities of the Buddhist Ministry Initiative. He received his Master of Theological Studies in Buddhism from Harvard and has worked in university spiritual life and ministry settings since then. He is a lifelong Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and has practiced leadership and youth mentorship experience in the tradition.
Mark Gensha Miller, PsyD, MPH, CMT-P, serves as the Director of Buddhist Life and Buddhist interfaith chaplain in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) at the University of Southern California. He is a clinical psychologist in private practice and a certified mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion teacher with interest in the intersections of psychology, mental health, Buddhism, meditation, and religious practice. Prior to his work as chaplain, Mark was co-director of Mindful USC, a secular mindfulness training program, where he continues to offer in-person and online mindfulness and self-compassion programming. He worked as a psychologist at USC Student Counseling Services for three years before joining Mindful USC.
Rebecca D. Nie has served the Buddhist communities at Stanford in various ministerial roles for the past 15 years. In 2020, she was invited to serve the inaugural Chaplain-Affiliate Council with other campus ministry leaders, such as the Executive Director of Hillel at Stanford. The Dean of ORSL, with the approval of the Stanford Provost, has been entrusting her to oversee the Buddhist religious and spiritual life of the students, faculty, and staff since. Z.M. Nie is a Zen Master of the Korean Jogye Order and received teaching authorization in Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. She also holds advanced degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of Toronto and Stanford University.
Ji Hyang Padma is a college chaplain and educator with over twenty years’ experience in higher education, and a Zen teacher with Lay Entrustment Transmission in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. She has served as a college chaplain at seven institutions, including Wellesley College, Harvard University and Brandeis University. She is now Director of the M.Div Program and Associate Faculty within the Wisdom Traditions Department, Naropa University. She has published three books: Living the Season: Zen Practices for Transformative Times, Field of Blessing: Ritual and consciousness in the work of Buddhist healers, and (with Jonathan Makransky) the Buddhist Campus Chaplain Sourcebook. Her research interests include practical theology, pastoral care and traditional healing practices.
Venerable Priya Rakkhit Sraman is a Theravāda Buddhist monastic and chaplain dedicated to fostering spiritual well-being in higher education. Originally from Chattogram, Bangladesh, he was ordained at the age of eleven and has trained in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the USA. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and served as the first Buddhist Chaplain at Tufts University, Massachusetts, before moving to Atlanta to become the first Buddhist Chaplain in the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life at Emory University. In this role, he mentors students, leads meditation programs, facilitates interfaith collaboration, and supports the spiritual care needs of the Emory community. He also organizes Buddhist educational initiatives, including the Black Buddhist Teachers Series and the Buddhist Book Club, retreats, workshops, cultural and traditional festivals. Beyond Emory, he actively engages with local Buddhist centers and advises students on Buddhist studies and spiritual development.
