The National Association of Catholic Chaplains

Menu
  • Membership
      • Apply for Membership
      • Frequently-Asked Questions about Membership
      • Request Retired Membership
      • State Liaisons
      • Newest Members
      • Membership Directory
      • Member map
      • Celebrating Our Members’ 25-year Membership and Certification
      • In Memoriam: deceased NACC members
    • Close
  • Certification
    • Initial Board Certification
      • Board Certified Chaplain (BCC)
      • Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC)
      • Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC)
      • VA Initial Board Certification
      • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
      • Newly Certified Chaplains
      • Close
    • Renewal of Certification
    • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Important Background on NACC Certification Competencies
      • Professional Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals
      • Certification Commission
      • Certification Appeals Panel
      • Ethics Appeals Panel
      • Close
    • Mentors
    • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
    • Verifying Certification
    • Maintaining Certification in Retirement
    • Graduate Theological Programs
    • Close
  • Education Resources
      • 2023 Retreat
      • 2023 Webinar Series
      • Recorded webinars (2009-2022)
      • Calendar of Events
      • Graduate Theological Programs
      • CPE Programs
      • NACC Professional Networking Calls
      • Continuing Education Hour Requests – Guidelines and Forms
      • Ongoing Educational Opportunities
      • Local/Regional Gatherings & Events
      • Past Conferences (2004 – 2022)
      • Vision
    • Close
  • Resources
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Administrator Resources
    • Awareness Resources
    • Chaplaincy Care Resources
    • Coronavirus Resources & Updates
    • Job Listings
    • The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Research
    • Specialty Care Resources
    • Spirituality and Prayer Resources
    • Spiritual Care Department Resources
    • Vision
    • Close
  • About NACC
    • About the NACC
      • Mission/Vision/Values
      • Constitution and ByLaws
      • Strategic Plan
      • History
      • Close
    • Annual Awards
    • Association Leadership
      • NACC Board of Directors
      • Committees, Commissions, and Panels
      • National Office Staff
      • Episcopal Advisory Council
      • Close
    • Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
    • Choose Chaplaincy
    • Health Care Collaborators
    • NACC Merchandise
    • NACC Publications and Documents
      • Vision
      • NACC Now
      • Annual Reports & Financial Reviews
      • Documents and publications
      • NACC Blog
      • Close
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Partners for Professional Excellence in Spiritual Care
    • Vision
    • Close
  • Choose Chaplaincy
  • Contact Us
      • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    • Close
  • Donate Now
  • Member Login
Home » Vision » September-October 2016 » A perfect Buddhist stranger in a different country

A perfect Buddhist stranger in a different country

By Donald Stikeleather

I looked down at my census and saw the patient’s religious status. Islam. Will I be accepted? Will the person have the patience to see I’m not there to convert him? Will he understand enough English to understand my role? These questions and others go through my mind. Chaplains have an individual pastoral formation and are also expected to be able to provide spiritual resources to all.
vision logo sept-oct 2016
I am an APC board-certified chaplain serving newborn and cardiac ICUs of a pediatric hospital in Indianapolis. I also visit adult patients when I serve on-call. I am a white American male, raised United Methodist, now an ordained Buddhist in the lineage of Tibetan Siddha Chögyam Trungpa. I witness suffering and provide compassion, comfort, and reflection. I often pray with Christian patients, having inherited a prayer language passed down from pastors on both sides of the family. I enjoy the diversity of our patients, who travel great distances for specialized care.

My CPE journey included studying at a Catholic hospital, working at busy adult and pediatric trauma centers, and completing an ethics fellowship. I have an M.Div. from Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired hotbed of contemplative education in Boulder, CO, where I met my spiritual teacher, Reginald Ray.

I’m not saying to avoid talk about feelings and thoughts or stories, but wait for the patient to initiate that.

How does one minister to a patient from another religious tradition? I ask the patient what would be spiritually helpful. When I start there, I get much closer to helping their own spiritual coping meet their emotional experience as a result of medical experience. For example, with Hindu patients, I ask if there is a particular deity that they worship, and if it feels appropriate, I ask permission to pray to that deity. It is always helpful to ask if there is someone in their community to call. It takes a little practice to be a “perfect stranger” in someone else’s religion (click here for a valuable resource). Practice leads to confidence.

How does one minister to a Buddhist patient? There are as many different kinds of Buddhists as there are Christians, and I’m not talking about denominations. For example, there is the Asian Buddhist patient who doesn’t speak English, or speaks English but is actually a Christian convert. There is the American patient who struggles with the idea of leaving Christianity, has read some books, has meditated, but is deep down a practicing Christian. I believe that spirituality is in our very cells, and an intellectual journey may be shorter than the convert’s somatic journey to renegotiate and reconcile long-held beliefs. In cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boulder, you will find Buddhist communities of converts. There are also householder (non-monastic) Asians who are cultural Buddhists but don’t practice meditation (the monks do the practicing), and there are monks with an extensive support system of followers.

What about the visit? First, I let the patient know that I am aware that she is Buddhist. Having this acknowledged may be disarming. She may or may not want to talk much about feelings. What!? Thoughts and feelings, which lead to stories, are not valued the same way as in other religions, since Buddhism focuses on training the mind. It may help to ask a patient how her mind is doing. This tells her that you understand something about what she values. “How is your heart?” is another good question.

I’m not saying to avoid talk about feelings and thoughts or stories, but wait for the patient to initiate that. “How is this story helpful to you?” “How does your practice work with these feelings?”

Does the patient have a community to contact? It may not be local. I am part of an international community, but am the only one in my city. Does she have a meditation practice? If so, ask if she can do this practice while in the hospital. For some, the hospital is a perfect place to meditate, given the long periods of waiting among the chaotic sounds and interruptions. We meditate not to make the chaos go away (and we don’t need the room to be completely quiet), but to BE with the chaos of life. Some Buddhists do formal prostrations, and while in the hospital, could be encouraged to visualize doing them if they are physically unable. It is important for them to count these prostrations/chants or other practices, so they might need a mala (beaded bracelet), or paper and pen. If they are Christian with Buddhist leanings, they may want to process that journey.

If they have a meditation practice, and you feel comfortable (or not), ask them to teach you the practice (you might already know it) and go ahead and do it with them right there in the room. That helps them know that you are joining them. What you learn, you can teach another patient!

There will probably not be a reason to offer prayer, since prayer is not a Buddhist practice, if you define it as speaking to God, since Buddhists don’t speak of God and eschew the idea of dualism, of human AND Supreme Being.

When I have taught Asian monks about chaplaincy, they have asked eagerly if I chant with patients. I mention this to help you understand that there is a commonality of “this is what I do” when it comes to meeting someone outside of your belief system, with the trepidation of asking yourself to be open to what your patients actually need.

The very first time I prayed with a Christian patient, I felt the patient holding space during this important moment. Thousands of prayers later, I have gained more confidence, knowledge and skill. The same is true of the ministry to patients of other religions I have met. We start to build a reservoir of knowledge and confidence that we can be great spiritual resources. It begins with openness.

Donald Stikeleather, BCC, is a chaplain at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Become a Member Would you like to get Certified?

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

National Association of Catholic Chaplains
4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Get Directions

Phone: (414) 483-4898
Fax: (414) 483-6712
Email: info@nacc.org

Our office hours
Mon-Thur 8:00am – 5:00pm Central Time
Friday 8:00am – 12 Noon
Sat-Sun closed

Job Listings

Current job opportunities for chaplains, priests, CPE residents, supervisors, directors of pastoral care, managers, mission directors, and more.

Job Listings

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

Donate Now

Learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to NACC.

Donate Now

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
© 1997 - 2023 National Association of Catholic Chaplains - Sitemap

Built by Westwords