Mapping Buddhist Chaplaincy in North America

chaplaincyinnovation.org
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. Monica Sanford is one of only two Buddhists in North America to lead a religious life department at a college or university. As the head of Spirituality & Religious Life at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rev. Dr. Sanford oversees a program with active on-campus Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Pagan, and Muslim communities and student clubs, while also coordinating interfaith programs and an innovative outreach program for secular/non-religious students called “Department 42.” RIT is a STEM-focused campus of 19,000+ students from all over the United States and the world. Trained as a Buddhist chaplain (MDiv, 2013) and ordained as a Buddhist lay minister in a Chan lineage (2015), Rev. Dr. Sanford also received her PhD in Practical Theology (spiritual care & counseling) from Claremont School of Theology (2018) with a first-of-its-kind qualitative study of Buddhist chaplains working in interfaith settings, such as hospitals, colleges, and the military.
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.
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.
Jitsujo T. Gauthier is the current Chair and Assistant Professor of the Buddhist Chaplaincy department at University of the West. She teaches courses, e.g., Buddhist Homiletics, Formation, Spiritual Care & Counseling, Power, Privilege & Difference, Buddhist Ethics, Frameworks, and Methods, for both the Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Buddhist Ministry programs.
Chaplaincy Innovation Lab: Sparking Practical Innovation in Spiritual Care

[@Ninetymilesinc]

Thank you for this informative program, it really was quite helpful to see how the survey is coming and how Buddhist chaplains identify themselves and their work. To all, much gratitude.

[@benbell5958]

namo Buddhaya namo Dharmaya namo Sanghaya 😊🌸💙☸