Foundation Training in Buddhist Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care

Sono aperte le iscrizione al primo corso di Cappellania Buddhista a livello europeo.

Su iniziativa di Dario Doshin Girolami, l'Unione Buddhista Europea (EBU), in collaborazione con il Dharma Gate Buddhist College, ha organizzato un corso internazionale certificato. Il corso partira' a settembre 2024. Guidato da insegnanti di Dharma, sara' online e in presenza, in lingua Inglese. Il costo sara' contenuto grazie al sostegno economico dell'Unione Buddista Italiana.Tutte le informazioni sul sito

www.europeanbuddhistchaplaincy.org

• Experiential Practice-Focused Learning
• Includes all approaches to Buddhism
• Building Community
• Collaborative and Accredited

The Foundation Training in Buddhist Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care invites practitioners from all Buddhist traditions who wish to serve in healthcare, end-of-life care or prison, and offer sangha care. The training offers an introduction to this new field for Buddhist practitioners.  It has been jointly developed by experienced Buddhist chaplains and spiritual carers from the main Buddhist traditions (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna).

The Foundation Training is highly experiential and practical and provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge as well as individual support to serve in the public sector and/or their own communities.

By practicing and learning together across traditions, area specialisations and nationalities, the training aims to build a strong and vibrant European chaplaincy sangha.

The Foundation Training is a collaborative effort of the European Buddhist Union and Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest, Hungary.

The course will be accredited by Dharma Gate Buddhist College as an 'Adult Learning Programme'.

The European Buddhist Union is working towards this course meeting the requirements needed for professional certification in different European countries. The course may help students to fulfill the requirements of their sangha to be endorsed or ordained as a chaplain.

The course welcomes Buddhists practitioners from across Europe who are new to this field and wish to engage in chaplaincy/spiritual care, and those who are already volunteering or working in healthcare, hospitals, hospices, palliative care or prisons and wish to deepen their chaplaincy practice. It is also open to practitioners who are dedicated to sangha care and like to grow their skills and knowledge. The training is held in English.

The course focuses on three main areas:

Context of Buddhist Chaplaincy

• Exploring the different fields of chaplaincy and spiritual care

Practice of Buddhist Chaplaincy

• Gaining basic knowledge and essential skills needed to serve in prison, healthcare or hospice /palliative care chaplaincy as well as sangha care within our own communities

Personal and Spiritual Development

• Supporting personal and spiritual development and gaining a practical foundation in dharma-based forms of spiritual care

The Foundation Training is an introductory course. It is based on a modular approach combining online and in-person training. It consists of four modules with a total of 144 hours of learning. Each module takes about three months and includes three half-day online sessions on Zoom and a 4-day residential retreat. In addition, each student receives one-on-one supervision as well as peer support.

Students are welcome to take module 1 only, or module 1 and 2 together.

If students so wish, and fulfil the requirements, they can continue with module 3 and 4 of the training pathway. The entire training path of all four modules may take between 18 – 24 months to complete.

The course is a hybrid, combining online with in-person-sessions. The residential sessions are held in a supportive retreat atmosphere at the retreat center of Dharma Gate Buddhist College,  The Manfa Retreat Centre located in Southern Hungary.

Deadline for applications for 2024/25 course: September 6th. Course starts September 28th.