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Wisdom and Compassion in Buddhist Spiritual Care Symposium
March 28–29, 2026
At Maitripa College – In Person and Online!
~Registration Opens February 1~


A Weekend of Learning, Practice, and Community

Join us for a transformative symposium exploring the inseparable union of wisdom and compassion in Buddhist spiritual care and chaplaincy. Held at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon on March 28–29, 2026, this weekend brings together scholar-practitioners, chaplaincy educators, professional caregivers, researchers, and members of the broader public interested in Buddhism and contemplative approaches to spiritual care.

Buddhist spiritual care and chaplaincy have long been recognized for their contributions of mindful presence, contemplative practice, and compassion—especially in hospital, hospice, and healthcare settings. Current and emerging research validates that compassion training strengthens caregiver wellbeing and informs effective interventions for patients and staff. In Buddhist communities, compassion is cultivated alongside the many dimensions of vast and skillful methods, including lovingkindness, equanimity, joy, generosity, and ethics‚ all of which powerfully resource spiritual care in Buddhist and non-Buddhist contexts.

At the same time, Buddhist lineages have traditionally equally emphasized the complementary training in wisdom, as insight into the nature of reality, interdependence, and emptiness. How wisdom teachings and practices might also – alongside compassion cultivation – contribute to spiritual and professional formation of spiritual caregivers is less commonly named and invites our consideration. What becomes possible and skillful when we train in both dimensions?


Reclaiming Two Wings: Wisdom and Compassion

In Tibetan Buddhist teachings, wisdom (prajñā) and compassion (upāya) are likened to the two wings of a bird. Both are essential, inseparable, and mutually reinforcing throughout the spiritual path. What could they offer in spiritual care education, practice, and research?

When these are separated in our caregiving, compassion without wisdom can lead to attachment and emotional exhaustion; wisdom without compassion can become detached and self-oriented. When united, they strengthen each other, to resource sustainable, skillful care, as insight into interdependence and no-self reduces barriers to compassion, and compassion decenters ego-clinging that blocks wisdom.


 

Symposium Highlights

  • Engaging presentations and conversations featuring nationally recognized scholars, educators, chaplains, researchers, and contemplative practitioners
  • Diverse perspectives from multiple Buddhist and wisdom lineages—Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and others—on the meaning and application of wisdom and compassion
  • Research insights on compassion-based training for caregivers, patients, and healthcare systems
  • Contemplative practices guided by renowned senior meditation instructors
  • Case-based learning bridging classical Buddhist teachings with contemporary caregiving
  • Community connection with Maitripa College faculty, chaplaincy educators, clinical practitioners, and fellow practitioners committed to skillful, sustainable service in world that needs our compassion and wisdom to transmute suffering

     

Distinguished Speakers and Contemplative Practice Leaders Include:

  • Yangsi Rinpoche, is a Geshe Lharampa, and Founder and Professor at Maitripa College.
  • Geshe Thubten Jinpa, PhD, is a prolific author, translator, and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, principal English interpreter for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Founder and Chairman of Compassion Institute, principal author of Compassion Cultivation Training™ (CCT©), founder and president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, and Board member of the Mind and Life Institute.
  • John Makransky, PhD, is Associate Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston College, developer of Sustainable Compassion Training, meditation teacher, and co-author of How Compassion Works: A Step-By-Step Guide to Cultivating Well-Being, Love, and Wisdom.
  • Maureen Jenci Shelton, MDiv, ACPE Educator, is a Senior CBCT Certified Instructor for Spiritual Health, System Director of Education, Emory Spiritual Health; and the lead author of Compassion Centered Spiritual Health
  • Henry Shiu PhD, is the Shi Wu De Professor of Chinese Buddhist Studies, Emmanuel College, and author of The Heart Sutra: Revisiting Its Texts, History, and Meaning (2025).
  • Jampa Lifeng Wang, MA, BCC, ACPE Certified Educator, is a graduate of Maitripa College, one of the first Buddhists to become an ACPE Certified Educator, and has been a chaplain and educator in CT, NY, and VA for a decade.
  • Nancy G. Lin, PhD, is the Noboru and Yaeko Hanyu Professor of Buddhist Chaplaincy, Tibetan and South Asian Studies, and Program advisor, Certificate in Buddhist Chaplaincy, at the Institute of Buddhist Studies.
  • Mary Remington, is a Buddhist Chaplain, and Director of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at Upaya Zen Cener.
  • Venerable Prya-Rakkit Sraman, MDiv, is the Buddhist Chaplain at Emory University, and a Theravadan monk.
  • And more esteemed teachers and practitioners to be announced soon

Perfect For:

  • Graduate students and faculty in chaplaincy, pastoral care, and Buddhist studies programs
  • Practicing chaplains, spiritual caregivers, nurses, and caregivers in healthcare, hospice, prison, military, and community and family settings
  • Chaplaincy educators and CPE supervisors
  • Researchers in contemplative science and Buddhist psychology
  • Anyone interested in Buddhism, spiritual care, and contemplative approaches to serving others with wisdom and compassion

Co-Hosted By:

Maitripa College

Maitripa College is a Buddhist institution of higher learning founded in 2005 in Portland, Oregon by Yangsi Rinpoche. We offer a Master of Arts in Applied Buddhist Studies, a Master of Divinity Degree, Continuing Education courses, and community programming. Founded upon the three pillars of scholarship, meditation, and service, Maitripa’s curriculum combines Western academic education with traditional Tibetan Buddhist disciplines, empowering graduates to become agents of positive change in the world.

Buddhist Spiritual Care Educators of North America (BSCENA)

BSCENA is a collaborative network of Buddhist educators co-creating the fields of Buddhist spiritual care, leadership, and service. Our vision is to educate spiritual caregivers and leaders through Buddhist teachings to recognize suffering and meet it with wisdom and compassion. Incorporated as a non-profit in 2025, we develop and share educational resources while fostering integration of academic, professional, and spiritual/religious training and formation.

In Partnership With:

The Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School, which generously supports Buddhist education, scholarship, and the advancement of Buddhist chaplaincy as a recognized field of professional and spiritual formation.


 

Details

  • Start: March 28
  • End: March 29
  • Event Category:

Organizer

Venue

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