New Conference
In recent years, there has been a growing interest by the Vaishnava Community in learning the science and art of Pastoral Care (aka: Spiritual Care, crisis ministry, palliative care, etc.), as a means of accompanying its members (both temple residents, congregational members, hospice care-givers, etc) with healing and hope.
I have spent the past 13 years pondering how to translate our Vaishnava lifestyle and religious experience into language and practice that makes sense in the western context as fumbled my way through various post-graduate educational institutions, e.g., Guilford College (BA in Religious Studies); Claremont School of Theology (Master of Divinity); Claremont School of Religion (PHD course work in Philosophy of Religion-scholarship to attend Jain Summer School in India); Sanskrit (Loyola Marymount College); Virginia Commonwealth University (Master of Patient Counseling); Board Certification as a Professional Chaplain (www.professionalchaplains.org) and Certification as a Chaplain professor and trainer (www.acpe.edu).
My hope with this new conference is to create a platform where Vaishnavas who have an interest may enter into dialogue with me and others regarding Chaplaincy as devotional service and a paid profession outside ISKCON as preaching endeavor.
I do not claim to have all the answers to how ISKCON might develop this program, or how devotees might get involved. That said, I do believe in the power of dialogue (katha) as the primary means of invoking transformation and change within human communities.
The conference name is located at "Vaishnava.Chaplains@pamho.net.
Please join me in connecting around this important topic of Vaishnava Care and the Bhakti process.
blessings.
Rambhoru Dasi
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