Buddhist Chaplaincy in the US: State of the Field
While Buddhist chaplains have been active in North America for over ten years, no one really knows how many there are, how they are educated, or where they work – until now!
This webinar will present the results of a unique survey of Buddhist chaplains. Conducted by a collaborative research team representing Harvard Divinity School, Brandeis University, University of the West, and the Institute of Buddhist Studies, among others, this survey reached over 400 Buddhist chaplains working across the fields of health care, education, prisons, the military, and many other sectors.
The findings are intriguing and only serve to raise more questions about the unique contributions Buddhists are making to the profession of chaplaincy, professionalization of Buddhist chaplains, and the role of race and ethnicity in this growing profession.
Rev. Dr. Daijaku Kinst is a Soto Zen priest and teacher, a core faculty member of the Institute of Buddhist Studies/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and author of Trust Realization and the Self in Soto Zen Practice and many other writings. With Rev. Shinshu Roberts, she is guiding teacher of Ocean Gate Zen Center in Capitola, CA.
As a Soto Zen priest and teacher, academic, scholar, and author, Daijaku has been committed to studying and supporting authentic and fruitful Buddhist practice for many years. Following her formal priest training, including years at Tassajara, she completed a masters degree in counseling.
Her PhD was an in-depth study of Soto Zen teachings and how we can create environments in which ordinary complicated humans can realize them and serve the world in need. She has taught and led retreats widely, including Gampo Abbey with the Ven. Pema Chodron, and was appointed International Teacher by the Soto School in Tokyo, Japan.
Alex Baskin is a MDiv student at Harvard Divinity School, who focuses on Buddhist chaplaincy, ministry, and theology. He studies Pāli, the language of early Buddhist texts and this academic year his internship focuses on interfaith dialogue with the Addir Fellowship of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Elaine Yuen is a contemplative educator, chaplain, and artist. Formerly Chair of the Wisdom Traditions Department and Professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, she continues to teach and write on pastoral caregiving (chaplaincy), contemplative education, and Buddhist studies.
She hails from Philadelphia where she was an associate professor, researcher, and interfaith chaplain at Thomas Jefferson University. Elaine has been trained as a healthcare chaplain, and is also a meditation teacher and Upadhyaya (Buddhist Minister) in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, trained by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
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