Buddhist ministry and pastoral care

In 2011, a grant from the Foundation was gifted to a new Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School to create greater understanding of Buddhist philosophy and to support training of future Buddhist religious professionals in pastoral care. The eight-year programme, enables field education of Buddhist ministry in hospitals and other care sites; modern training for Buddhist clergy; and introduces non-Christian tradition studies for Master of Divinity degree candidates.

Harvard Divinity School is regarded as a leader in the academic study of religion, adopting a global outlook for its revised Master of Divinity curriculum in 2004 and making a concerted effort to create an environment where students preparing to minister different religious traditions could study together and share perspectives.

The innovative training, the first at a divinity school within a research university, enables the Harvard ministry programme to extend its reach through greater input from Buddhist literature, thought and practices, while Buddhist ministry students gain from learning more about socially engaged ministering and care. The Foundation funding supports coursework in Buddhist ministry studies and lectures, field education, and conferences.

The Buddhist Ministry Initiative also seeks to engage with Buddhist communities in Asia and to share understanding of social services and action being developed in line with Buddhist values east and west.