2024 Professional Webinar: Buddhist Chaplaincy in the United States: Emerging Trends and Practical Applications
Presented by Rev. Dr. Elaine Yuen and Rev. Monica Sanford PhD
Date: October 17, 2024
Time: 12pm – 1:30pm Central Time
Join Buddhist chaplains Elaine Yuen and Monica Sanford for an overview of spiritual care for Buddhists in the United States. This presentation will share information about who American Buddhists are and then dive into two case studies of Buddhist spiritual care in healthcare settings. Using these case studies, we will explore: suffering, aging, illness, death, and rebirth; compassionate accompaniment to suffering; ritual and prayer; and the role of Buddhist clergy and leaders.
How might Buddhist beliefs and practices contribute to interfaith Chaplaincy encounters through modalities such as mindfulness and contemplation? We will explore how Buddhist chaplains have sought to integrate and collaborate within multi-religious Chaplaincy teams.
Questions and conversation will be welcome during this webinar.
As a result of this webinar, participants will:
- Be able to identify current trends in Buddhist Chaplaincy
- Understand how Buddhist traditions frame suffering, transition, and death, and how these beliefs are embodied in Buddhist Chaplaincy
- Become familiar with Buddhist practices that support a caring presence in Chaplaincy encounters
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NACC Certification Competencies Addressed in this Webinar
PIC2, PPS2, PPS3, PPS6
Presenter Information
Rev. Dr. Elaine Yuen is an educator and chaplain. She received her chaplaincy training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is ordained as Upadhyaya (Buddhist minister) within the Shambhala Buddhist community. As Professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, she taught courses between 2012 and 2020 on pastoral caregiving, contemplative arts, and Buddhist studies. Presently living in Philadelphia, she continues to teach nationally and internationally in workshops that explore the interfaces between Buddhism, meditation, creativity, and contemplative caregiving. Her recent essay in Lion’s Roar, Touch the Earth, considers how we meet our world with a mindful presence. https://www.lionsroar.com/touch-the-earth/
Rev. Monica Sanford, PhD, is Assistant Dean for Multireligious Ministry at Harvard Divinity School. Her mission is to prepare a diverse cohort of students to become religious and spiritual leaders. She focuses on those who have historically been excluded from graduate-level religious vocational education in the United States, such as Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan, Spiritual, Secular, and those who don’t neatly fit into predefined categories. Her work extends beyond individual communities; she also prepares students for interreligious settings. Rev. Dr. Sanford’s expertise lies in both Buddhist chaplaincy (across all sectors) and college chaplaincy (across all traditions). Her writings include Kalyāṇamitra: A Model for Buddhist Spiritual Care.