Buddhist Chaplains Becoming More Common in US
2022-05-22
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1Christian clergy have long provided counseling or religious services in hospitals, prisons, and homes for the sick and ill in the United States.
2They are often called chaplains.
3Now, Buddhist chaplains are leading an ever more diverse number of religious counselors that includes Muslims, Hindus, and others.
4In Portland, Oregon, Skylar Freimann has a terminal heart condition and other illnesses.
5There to guide her along was Rev. Jo Laurence, a Zen Buddhist who has years of practice and training to support end-of-life patients.
6Rather than appealing to God or a Christian prayer, Laurence talked of Eastern spiritual traditions: "The body can weigh us down sometimes," she counseled.
7"Where is the divine or the sacred in your decline?"
8Buddhists say they are well-positioned for the times.
9They appeal to people from different cultural and religious backgrounds - including people who identify as non-religious.
10A growing number of Americans - roughly one-third - are non-religious.
11Buddhist study and training programs have been established or have grown in recent years.
12They include the Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School and the Buddhism track at Union Theological Seminary, among others.
13Monica Sanford, an ordained Buddhist minister, is a school official with the Multireligious Ministry at Harvard Divinity School.
14She said, "The programs keep expanding, so it seems clear that there's a growing demand from students. And the students appear to be finding jobs after graduation."
15In the past, Buddhist chaplains were often hired by hospitals and police departments to work with Asian immigrant communities.
16During World War II, they served Japanese American soldiers in the military.
17Today, however, they work with many different Americans.
18In a first-of-its-kind report published this month, Sanford and another researcher identified 425 Buddhist chaplains in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
19The chaplains represented all major branches of Buddhism.
20However, the researchers say there are likely many more.
21More than 40 percent work in health care.
22Others serve in schools, prisons, or as self-employed counselors, the researchers found.
23Leigh Miller is the director of academic and public programs at Maitripa College, a Tibetan Buddhist college in Portland.
24She has seen increased interest in its Master of Divinity program since its launch 10 years ago.
25Hospitals and other institutions are interested in hiring Buddhist chaplains, Miller said, to increase staff diversity.
26Buddhist chaplains, she added, are also good at relating to others using inclusive, neutral language, while Christians "fall back on God language, leading prayers or reading Bible scriptures."
27Meanwhile, training in mindfulness and meditation, as well as beliefs regarding the nature of self, reality, and the impermanence of suffering, give Buddhists special tools to deal with pain and death.
28Providence Health & Services is a Catholic nonprofit based in Washington state that runs hospitals in seven Western states.
29Mark Thomas, a chief mission officer in Oregon, said the hospital system employs 10 Buddhist chaplains not despite but because of its Catholic identity.
30The goal is to make sure patients get good spiritual care however it best suits them.
31Thomas said many patients like or feel connected to Buddhism or Buddhist practices.
32He said practices like meditation have been valuable in helping patients deal with suffering.
33I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Christian clergy have long provided counseling or religious services in hospitals, prisons, and homes for the sick and ill in the United States. They are often called chaplains. 2Now, Buddhist chaplains are leading an ever more diverse number of religious counselors that includes Muslims, Hindus, and others. 3In Portland, Oregon, Skylar Freimann has a terminal heart condition and other illnesses. There to guide her along was Rev. Jo Laurence, a Zen Buddhist who has years of practice and training to support end-of-life patients. 4Rather than appealing to God or a Christian prayer, Laurence talked of Eastern spiritual traditions: "The body can weigh us down sometimes," she counseled. "Where is the divine or the sacred in your decline?" 5Buddhists say they are well-positioned for the times. They appeal to people from different cultural and religious backgrounds - including people who identify as non-religious. A growing number of Americans - roughly one-third - are non-religious. 6Buddhist study and training programs have been established or have grown in recent years. They include the Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School and the Buddhism track at Union Theological Seminary, among others. 7Monica Sanford, an ordained Buddhist minister, is a school official with the Multireligious Ministry at Harvard Divinity School. She said, "The programs keep expanding, so it seems clear that there's a growing demand from students. And the students appear to be finding jobs after graduation." 8In the past, Buddhist chaplains were often hired by hospitals and police departments to work with Asian immigrant communities. During World War II, they served Japanese American soldiers in the military. Today, however, they work with many different Americans. 9In a first-of-its-kind report published this month, Sanford and another researcher identified 425 Buddhist chaplains in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The chaplains represented all major branches of Buddhism. However, the researchers say there are likely many more. More than 40 percent work in health care. Others serve in schools, prisons, or as self-employed counselors, the researchers found. 10Leigh Miller is the director of academic and public programs at Maitripa College, a Tibetan Buddhist college in Portland. She has seen increased interest in its Master of Divinity program since its launch 10 years ago. 11Hospitals and other institutions are interested in hiring Buddhist chaplains, Miller said, to increase staff diversity. Buddhist chaplains, she added, are also good at relating to others using inclusive, neutral language, while Christians "fall back on God language, leading prayers or reading Bible scriptures." 12Meanwhile, training in mindfulness and meditation, as well as beliefs regarding the nature of self, reality, and the impermanence of suffering, give Buddhists special tools to deal with pain and death. 13Providence Health & Services is a Catholic nonprofit based in Washington state that runs hospitals in seven Western states. Mark Thomas, a chief mission officer in Oregon, said the hospital system employs 10 Buddhist chaplains not despite but because of its Catholic identity. The goal is to make sure patients get good spiritual care however it best suits them. 14Thomas said many patients like or feel connected to Buddhism or Buddhist practices. He said practices like meditation have been valuable in helping patients deal with suffering. 15I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson. 16Gosia Wozniacka reported on this story for The Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17________________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19divine -- n. relating to or coming from God or a god 20sacred -- adj. worthy of religious worship : very holy; highly valued and important : deserving great respect 21ordain-v. to officially make (someone) a minister, priest, rabbi, etc. 22graduation - n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university 23mindfulness - n. the practice of being aware of something - thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc. 24meditation - n. the act or process of spending time in quiet thought : the act or process of meditating 25impermanence -n. the state of not lasting forever : 26practice - n. something that is done often or regularly