Reflective Practice - Formation and Supervision in Ministry (E-Journal)

Lesniak, Valerie

English

An Integrative Model of Spiritual Formation: A Work Always in Process

Sera, Nobukatsu

The Spirituality of Connectedness and Care: 
a Buddhist Perspective 
 
 
Nobukatsu Sera 
 
Buddhism teaches that suffering occurs when people are isolated or detached 
from wholeness due to ego-centeredness. Thus, we are released from 
suffering when we realize that we are part of wholeness or we are wholeness 
itself by connecting with something beyond ego-centeredness. 
It is this sense of connectedness that I particularly value when I am 
engaged in spiritual care. The object of connectedness will vary with people— 
it may be a precious family, true inner self, something great like gods 
or Buddha beyond oneself, thought, nature, and so on. depending on how 
they have lived, each individual seeks it differently. 
This connectedness is not just a one-way street, but rather an interactive 
or multidirectional chain that fosters wholeness through encounters 
with precious people or specific matters. I believe that wholeness does not 
fall into the realm of the world that human beings have formed, but it is 
“Life” itself beyond—but including—this world. 
Through the presence of a chaplain who has a sense of connectedness 
with wholeness, a patient begins to realize his or her connectedness with what 
matters and that connection leads to wholeness. That process is essential for 
me as I enter into the patient’s struggle or suffering. When that process works, 
I feel that the atmosphere is surrounded by wholeness including the patient 
and the chaplain, and energy that is disrupted within the patient starts to flow 
within the patient and circulate between the patient and the chaplain. 
When Connectedness Heals: A Case 
This process was evident in my work with a 71-year-old married female patient. 
The principal diagnosis was malignant pleural effusion due to metastatic 
adenocarcinoma of the lungs. The control of suffering from sharp pain 
and difficult respiration was good during the hospitalization. The patient 
stayed in the hospital for 18 days and then died. 
Before visiting the patient, the chaplain was informed about the situation 
of the patient from the unit staff. The patient had just been notified by a 
doctor that it would be difficult to have any more aggressive treatment and 
she had only a short time to live. The chaplain anticipated the patient might 
feel uneasy for that. 
The chaplain offered presence and listening to the patient out of respect 
for how she was feeling. Contrary to the chaplain’s anticipation, the 
patient’s main concern was not her own prognosis, but the matter of her family. 
The patient started sharing that she had been especially worried about 
her husband who was suffering from parkinson’s disease and her daughter 
who had a disability because of a car accident. The patient felt very sorry 
she could not help nor further support her beloved husband and daughter. 
The following is a transcript of our first conversation. please note that 
the patient’s words are designated with “p” and mine with “C” for chaplain. 
p: My husband is suffering from parkinson’s disease. I have been looking after 
him. He is in a nursing home now because I am here in hospital. (Tears 
appear on her face.) I was thinking who will take care of him… (Her tears 
dropped from her eyes.) 
C: You feel sorry for your husband? 
p: (There is silence for a moment.) I have two daughters. My younger daughter 
was in a car accident one year ago. She is mostly all right in daily life but she 
still has a walking disability. She is not yet married…if I lived longer, I could 
support her, even if anything wrong should happen to her. I cannot help 
them. I don’t know…I don’t know why I live now. (Her face revealed the 
depth of her anguish.) 
The Chaplain nods. 
p: I know I have little time left. When I think about it, I regret I have not done 
more for my family. I just worry about them. I think of them. I am sorry for 
them… (The patient is sobbing.) 
After the patient expressed feeling sorry about and helpless toward her 
family members, I asked, “How are the people who make you feel so precious?” 
Then she started to mention how wonderful they were. 
C: When I listen to you, I feel how wonderful and how precious your beloved 
husband and daughter are for you. They are such wonderful people. do you 
know how they think of you? 
p: (She looks at the Chaplain unsurely.) They worry about me? 
C: They worry about you? 
p: (She takes more time to think about it.) Am I supported by them? (Something 
hits her)…I am supported by them! 
C: You are supported by them, aren’t you? 
p: Yes, I think I am.…I am supported by them. 
C: So now, what do you want most of all to do for them? 
p: What do I want to do the most for them? (She hits upon something and her 
face changes.) I want to say “thank you” to them. 
C: You want to say “thank you” to them. 
p: Yes, I want to say “thank you” to them. 
The patient continued to share with me for a while. Then the topic 
about afterlife came up. There was such an atmosphere that we talked about 
the topic openly with each other. 
C: Who do you want to see there? 
p: Let me see…I want to see my father. He was very kind of me… 
C: He was kind of you? So what do you want to say to your father when you 
meet him? 
p: Well, I have nothing special to say to him. Instead, I will smile at him. He 
understands what I mean by that. 
C: He understands you? Well, how is he now? What is he doing? 
p: I feel he is looking at me even now. 
C: He is looking at you? How do you feel? 
p: Well, how can I say… (She seems to feel his eyes as if he is here.) I see him. 
When I smile at him, he answers me with his smile. do you think he understands 
me? 
C: I think he does. (The Chaplain answers naturally without any hesitation.) 
p: He understands me, doesn’t he? When I go to heaven, I would like to watch 
over my family from there. 
This case shows how the patient begins to realize her connectedness 
with family members, parting from her ego-centeredness because of her encounter 
with the chaplain. The patient is worried about the family members 
she is leaving: her husband who has parkinson’s disease and her daughter 
who is disabled. This is her spiritual crisis. 
The Transcending power of Being Connected 
The ability of the chaplain to trust his connection with wholeness enables 
the chaplain to offer presence for the patient. That creates an atmosphere 
beyond the intention of both the patient and the chaplain. This very atmosphere 
also lets the patient touch her innermost suffering or grief. When the 
patient mentions “I know I have little time left…” we have to be careful lest 
this attitude becomes a self-centered view. We need to check it clinically all 
the time. In this case, the chaplain senses the patient’s affection to her family 
members behind the guilt or regret she expresses in words. 
This leads the chaplain to ask the patient, “How are the people who 
make you feel so precious?” This question from the chaplain brings to her 
mind the close relationship with her family members that is greater than 
her burden or guilt to them. Then the patient starts talking about her family 
members as a precious presence with a feeling an emotional connection 
to them. The chaplain who senses the presence of the patient directly feels 
the atmosphere surrounded by warm and heartfelt space, in which an energy 
that had been disrupted in the depths of her soul starts to flow, then 
circulates between the patient and the chaplain. Once the energy is flowing 
naturally like this, the chaplain keeps his eyes open as much as possible so 
as not to spoil the deep connectedness with a patient. It may happen when 
an intellectual or intentional intervention by the caregiver parts from ‘staying 
in the flow’ and disrupts the deep relation with a patient. 
Buddhism teaches that people are made to live by ceaseless connectedness 
which is interactive or multidirectional as well as moving away from 
ego-centeredness. The question about the patient’s family members, “do 
you know how they think of you?” is asked by the chaplain from a standpoint 
of Buddhism. Although the patient feels completely powerless toward 
family members from the perspective of ego-centeredness, because of her in- 
ability to do any more for them, she begins to realize herself as ‘being’ loved 
by her family members and moves toward connectedness beyond ego-centeredness. 
She feels a surge of gratitude toward her family members when 
she agrees that she is loved by them completely. And more, because the patient 
realizes connectedness with her late father beyond the here and now 
and supposes that the connectedness with him exists not only in this world 
but also in another world, she can feel his smile. This sensational experience 
also makes her aware of the new connectedness with her family members 
beyond any limitation as human beings in this world. Because of this, she 
can naturally say “I would like to watch over my family from there.” 
 
Nobukatsu Sera is a priest of the Otani School of Shin Buddhism (the True pure Land Sect 
of Buddhism) and a spiritual care counselor with Seichokai Medical Corporation, Fuchu 
Hospital, Izumi-city, Osaka, Japan (Email: sera@oct.zaq.ne.jp). 


The Spirituality of Connectedness and Care: A Buddhist Perspective

Buckley, Suzanne

Suzanne Buckley, The Mercy Center, eds., Sacred is the Call (Burlingame, 
CA: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2005), 230 pp. 
Sacred is the Call is a compilation of twenty essays exploring various topics in 
the ministry of spiritual direction. It is a significant contribution to the literature 
on spiritual direction, covering a broad base of topics and suggestions 
for training programs. It includes essays written by teachers from the Mercy 
Center and also by training personnel from all over the country. 
This book is a particularly good resource for practicing spiritual directors 
and teachers in spiritual direction training programs, although its prin- 
ciples and suggestions could also be employed by pastors and CPE supervisors 
in chaplaincy training programs. 
The three essays submitted by Mary Ann Scofield were particularly notable. 
Her writing is clear, concrete, and accessible to spiritual directors and 
pastoral counselors. In her first two essays, “Waiting on God” and “Running 
from God,” she gives concrete examples of discerning God’s movements 
and the various methods directees employ to resist those movements. She 
asserts that “since the place of resistance signals the place where God is active; 
this is precisely where the directee’s transformation can occur. In her 
last essay, “Friends of God and Prophets, Transformation for Justice,” she 
challenges us to go further in our training programs than merely helping 
individuals “feel good about themselves.” She urges us to move out of our 
comfort zones by embracing other cultures and seeking out the marginalized 
in our ministries. 
Janice Farrell introduces us to the practice of group spiritual direction 
in “Journeying Together.” She packs a lot of detail in her short essay, including 
a description of the threefold practicum, required reading, and questions 
for evaluation. She provides an excellent source of ideas for designing 
a group spiritual direction training program. 
James Neafsey in his essay “Toward Union with God,” gives a comprehensive 
review of the dark night of spirit. He specifically lists the characteristics 
of how to discern if a directee is experiencing a true “dark night” and 
how to be with them in these key transitions. It takes great skill and sensitivity 
to accompany a person through these dry and often painful times and his 
essay is very helpful to the practicing spiritual director. 
Sandra Lommasson examines dual relationships in her essay, “Spiritual 
Direction in Community” and reviews the guidelines to determine if a 
relationship has an inherent imbalance of power. Her work is very helpful 
for clergy and members of spiritual communities engaging in layers of relationship 
with each other. 
Donald Bisson in his essay “Who Am I, Who Are You” introduces various 
gender issues encountered in spiritual direction. He teaches a new way 
of paying attention—discerning between insight driven and feeling driven 
directees; giving concrete examples of characteristic dialogue in direction 
sessions. Similarly, Lucy Abbot Tucker encourages us to learn to pay attention 
to where the directee is leading from—the heart, head, or gut; illustrating 
her teaching with concrete examples and giving suggestions on how to accompany 
a directee when integrating these three functions. 
The various essays are energizing, and will undoubtedly give a fresh 
shot of enthusiasm to a spiritual direction practice or training program. It 
should enjoy a prominent place on many bookshelves as a valuable resource 
in the ministry of spiritual direction. 
karla Droste 
Spiritual Director 
Oakland, CA 


Sacred is the Call

Fuller, Robert C.

Robert C. Fuller, Spiritual, but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched 
America (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001), 224 pp. 
Some fifty years from now, when historians of religion (or spirituality) seek to 
identify a descriptive phrase for our era, they may well select the increasingly 
common mantra, “I am spiritual but not religious.” At one time, the words 
seemed to be used interchangeably, and it did not seem to make much difference 
if someone described Pastor Jones as a “religious” person or a “spiritual” 
person, one adjective duplicated the other. On those occasions when 
comparisons were made, “spirituality” usually got the short end of the stick, 
with its practitioners being derided for their séances, attempts to predict the 
future, extrasensory perception studies, etc. Yet, times have changed. These 
days, spirituality appears to be garnering a greater share of recognition and 
respect, while religion seems to be receding into the shadows. 
Robert Fuller provides an engaging historical account of the interplay 
between religion and spirituality within the United States, from the colonial 
era to the present. Spirituality, he informs us, has been a significant force in 
our history though often relegated to the sidelines, especially by the Christian 
historians. All the great religious revivals, Fuller points out, were not just 
within the Christian churches but within other spiritual groups and contexts 
as well. The influence of the Enlightenment on spirituality is evident in Jefferson’s 
decision to publish his improved version of the New Testament, as well 
as Franklin’s general dismissal of organized religion. The emphasis on individualism 
and reason is especially well developed in the compelling writings 
of Ralph Waldo Emerson, an early leading figure in establishing Unitarianism 
(the one denomination today that appears to be experiencing a significant degree 
of growth). The combination of individualism and rationality leads to a 
third component which is a common factor in each of the spirituality movements: 
the recurring rejection of established religion for being too doctrinaire 
and restrictive. His survey is quite comprehensive and includes just about 
every movement and its seminal founders: Astrology, the Celestine Prophecy, 
the Emmanuel Movement, “I Am,” Alcoholics Anonymous, Mesmerism, the 
New Thought Movement, Rosicrucianism, Shakerism, Swedenborgianism, 
etc. While Fuller rightly recognizes some of the foibles of the more narcissistic 
spiritual gurus, I suspect he would nominate William James, along with Emerson, 
as two of the most significant figures in the development of spirituality 
within the United States. In this regard, he provides a quote from James which 
well captures the essence of spirituality: “There are resources in us that naturalism 
with its literal and legal virtues never recks of, possibilities that take 
our breath away, of another kind of happiness and power based upon giving 
up our own will and letting something higher work for us” (p. 133). 
My appreciation for this fascinating chronicle of the development of 
spirituality within the US soured somewhat in the final chapter. At first I 
thought, “Oh great, he is going to utilize the work of Gordon Allport (one 
of my favorites, but who Fuller mistakenly associates with Yale; when, in 
fact, Allport attended and then became a faculty member at Harvard) on the 
marks of “a mature religious outlook.” Within every category, however, organized 
religion receives a lower score than spirituality. It felt like, mirabile dictu— 
Fuller the engrossing historian, morphed into an evangelist for spirituality. 
Even so, it is one of the best evangelical pamphlets (200 pages) I have seen 
on spirituality. I am surprised it is not more widely known. Perhaps when it 
was published in 2001, it was ahead of the curve, but I plan to recommend 
it to anyone who wants to understand the development of spirituality in the 
US. I have a feeling that the number of people who will be identifying themselves 
as “spiritual but not religious” will be increasing in the years to come. 
In time, we may discover whether spirituality enriches or eclipses religion. 
 
C. George Fitzgerald 
Stanford Hospital and Clinics 
Palo Alto, CA 


Spiritual, but not Religious: Understanding Unchurch America

Stallinga, Beth A.

What Spills Blood Wounds Spirit: Chaplains, Spiritual Care, and Operational Stress Injury

Browne, Mary Q.

Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry
ISSN 2325-2855
© Copyright 2013 Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry
All rights reserved.
Developing Shame Resilience
through Pastoral Supervision
Mary Q. Browne1
Summary
Fostering an empathic group context is essential in order to build shame resilience 
and repair moral injury. The development of shame resiliency is a significant by-
product for veterans participating in an empathic Clinical Pastoral Education 
process.
All students taking Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in a Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital setting will encounter moral injury among the 
veteran population within the hospitals, community learning centers, domi-
ciliaries, and outpatient clinics. Because of the close ties between the mili-
tary and the VA, many of my students are either active reservists or veterans 
themselves. Some of my students were deployed overseas and experienced 
combat. Other students have served as chaplains on military bases directly 
dealing with the moral injuries of the military personnel who come to them 
for counseling. Because of these varied experiences, some of these students 
carry a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or moral inju-
ry. Moral injury produces, among other symptoms, feelings of guilt, shame, 
and self-condemnation that result in disengagement from God, the self, and 
others. For those living with a moral injury, re-engagement with community 
is a key to healing this invisible wound of war.
Consider the story of Neal:
Neal was a Veteran having served in the Army during Operation Enduring 
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). He enlisted right out of 
high school with thoughts and feelings of patriotism and an idealistic de-
Mary Q. Browne, MDiv, BCC, LCSW, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Chaplain 
and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor, GRECC affiliated faculty, Audie L. Murphy 
VA Hospital, Chaplain Service (125), 7400 Merton Minter Blvd.., San Antonio, TX 78229-
4404 (Email: Mary.Browne@va.gov).
63
sire to serve his country. During his tour of duty in the Army he was a 
model soldier. He was deployed to Iraq where one of his assignments 
entailed picking up body bags.
When he completed military service he went to college. He had a con-
version experience in college that led him into ministry and then on to 
seminary. He entered a unit of CPE in order to meet requirements for ordi-
nation. When he began visiting with veteran patients in the hospital, par-
ticularly those who had amputations, he had a strong visceral response.
During one of our sessions of individual supervision, I gently confronted 
Neal about his lack of time on this unit. He reluctantly described his phys-
ical reaction. He reported in supervision that his heart raced, he became 
sweaty, and often lost his train of thought. He was repulsed by these vet-
eran’s conditions and then felt foolish, weak, and embarrassed by his re-
action. He avoided the unit that housed many patients with amputations.
What compelled me about Neal and his story is something that I see in 
other CPE students with recent military experience. Shame and guilt, along 
with a profound crisis of meaning and loss of faith, are part of moral injury. 
Because my supervisory work has been with the VA system, I have includ-
ed a focus on shame as part of any CPE program. My approach to pastoral 
supervision has been influenced by the work of Brené Brown, a researcher 
from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, on shame: 
“We all have it. Shame is universal and one of the most primitive human 
emotions that we experience…We’re all afraid to talk about shame. The less 
we talk about shame, the more control it has over our lives.”2
Once shame becomes part of the conversation in CPE, students and su-
pervisor can become curious about it and can begin to explore experiences 
of it as they arise in the group process. Providing information about shame 
normalizes the experience by explaining that everyone feels it.
Neal heard what was taught about shame in the didactic seminar, but did 
not want to identify himself with that emotion. By following his experi-
ence of shame related to his strong reaction to veterans with amputations, 
he became more open to considering that this might be a part of his strong 
emotional reaction to the amputation unit. I asked him to write a verbatim 
about a visit with a patient in the amputation unit and share that verbatim 
with the group.
Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are 
flawed and, therefore, unworthy of love and belonging. Communities ex-
clude or expel people for shame. Sometimes people disconnect themselves 
from significant communities when they feel shame. The antidote to self-
isolating shame is the experience of being heard and understood. Brown 
BROWNE
64
says it this way: “If we can share our story with someone who responds with 
empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.”3
When we can share our story and it is heard empathically, shame resil-
ience is fostered. Shame resilience is the ability to practice authenticity, and 
stay vulnerable, when shame is experienced. It entails courage, compassion, 
and connection. It is about moving from shame to empathy—the real an-
tidote to shame. When we empathize with one another, we connect to the 
emotion that someone is experiencing, not to the event or to the circum-
stance. Antidotes to shame very well may be the same as antidotes to moral 
injury. This includes the risk of vulnerability—sharing with others who will 
be able to really hear the story, empathy, acceptance, and belonging. In his 
weekly journal reflection, Neal wrote this:
I was hesitant to write a verbatim about an experience that I felt I had 
done so poorly on. I’m used to being strong and I’m usually cool under 
pressure. But looking at those guys with missing legs, or arms, or eyes…I 
just had a sickening sense in the pit of my stomach. I mean, not so long 
ago I was picking those body parts up in bags to be transported home. I 
never thought it bothered me. It was my job. But there’s something else 
I’m becoming aware of in having to process this stuff in CPE, and it’s not 
just about PTSD. It’s about that feeling in my gut. That so many people 
are suffering and no one at home really seems to understand. But being in 
this group and sharing this stuff helps. I think that “G” gets it. When he 
shared how he felt the first time he had a death on his unit…he was sad. 
I don’t feel like I’m the only one who struggles—and that helps keep me 
in the game.
Fostering shame resilience may be one of the secondary benefits of an 
empathic group experience in CPE. Sharing stories is risky, but it is often the 
first step on the journey towards shared vulnerability. It is emotionally risky 
to allow oneself to be vulnerable, “[B]ut there’s no equation where taking 
risks, braving uncertainty, and opening ourselves up to emotional exposure 
equals weakness.”4 In receiving feedback from his peers and supervisor dur-
ing verbatim seminar, he was able to hear both their support and their cri-
tique of his ministry. Neal profited from processing his own experience of 
shame while experiencing the empathy of his peers. I wish that I could re-
port that Neal stopped struggling after this experience. He did not. Follow-
ing his verbatim presentation and after receiving support from the group 
and supervisor, Neal continued to minister to veterans on the units he was 
assigned to. He returned slowly to the amputation unit, first with another 
DEVELOPING SHAME RESILIENCE THROUGH PASTORAL SUPERVISION
65
chaplain and later on his own. He also sought spiritual direction to continue 
to address his moral injury.
I supervise students who are veterans and who are not veterans, who 
are still in military service, and who have had no military experience. Where 
there are veterans, there will be moral injury. Aspects of moral injury—feel-
ings of guilt, shame, and self-condemnation—often lead to disengagement 
from God, self, and others. In supervising people with moral injury, I am 
particularly attentive to the disconnection that accompanies shame. Partici-
pation in a CPE program ordinarily includes participation in a group pro-
cess. Some of the components of this group process that build community 
and connection are story-telling in a nonjudgmental, exploratory manner; 
empathic story-hearing without advice giving; a willingness to be vulner-
able and reflect on life experiences and experiences with others; critical ex-
amination of assumptions; consideration of alternative ways of being and 
doing; and practice in employing these new ways that leads to further ex-
ploration. Of all those components, fostering an empathic group context is 
essential in order to build shame resilience and repair moral injury. The devel-
opment of shame resiliency becomes a significant by-product for veterans 
participating in such an empathic CPE process as older ways of thinking 
are examined and integrated with new information. What emerges may not 
look exactly like it used to.
NOTES
1. I want to give special acknowledgement to Chaplain Kurt Shaffert at the VA Connecti-
cut Chaplain Service for his collaboration with me on an unpublished article, “Moral 
Injury & Supervision” that inspired me to write this one.
2. Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We 
Live, Parent, and Lead (New York: Gotham, 2012), 68.
3. Ibid., 75.
4. Ibid., 32.
BROWNE


Developing Same Resilience through Pastoral Supervision

Sandage, Steven J.

Jensen, Mary L.

Relational Spiritual Formation

Grace, Monica-Maria

The Metaphor of Wholeness in the Practice and Supervision of Spirituality Integrated Psychotherapy: A Case Study

Yamaoka, Seigen

Spirituality and Spiritual Care: 
a Buddhist Perspective 
 
 
Seigen Yamaoka 
 
Spirituality is an interesting word. It is a word that is fully abundant and 
empty at the same time. 
Too often we seem to know objectively what the word means, but subjectively 
we are in the dark. In Buddhism this term introduces the concept of 
“to know is not to know.” Somehow we have to come to the point that “not 
to know is to know.” But, how do we do this? This is the dilemma that we 
face when we study for Buddhist ministry or chaplaincy. 
In the general process of teaching and learning in our society, we are 
taught and seek to learn the objective nature of things. Similarly, in religious 
studies, we learn about the objective facts, theories, and teachings of religions. 
The end result is an understanding of religious teaching as an objective, 
clearly defined process—often known as doctrinal truth. We come to 
know abundantly about objective truth, but there is a subjective emptiness. 
This is an area where ministers and chaplains often must fend for themselves. 
I personally faced this struggle. I knew objectively about the doctrine and 
teachings of Buddhism, but it was not meaningful to the people with whom I 
was ministering. I was spouting the academic, scholarly doctrine I learned and 
the final, critical conclusion of the teaching, but I did not know the process for 
coming to understand that teaching for the members or even myself. 
In time, I recalled my teacher’s advice to me. He said, “Learn the doctrine 
and teaching, then set it aside as you work with your people, listen 
carefully to what they say and need, then respond to their needs and relate 
the teaching in a way that they can best understand.” 
Thus began a long journey of filling my mind with more academic 
studies in various subjects while at that same time facing the traumatic issues 
of working with death and dying members. At that point I recalled 
a saying by the eighth head priest of the Shin Buddhist tradition, Rennyo, 
who said this: “rather than pouring the water (of enlightenment) into 
the basket (of the ego) one should put the basket in the water.” In working 
with the members, I noticed after a brief moment of time listening to their 
thoughts and responding minimally to what they were saying, they trans- 
formed their thoughts from self-centered to other-centered. I was not sure 
what happened, but I was given a hint as to what my ministry needed to be. 
The dharma-side and the person-side 
For myself, I needed to establish a process through which to understand the 
workings of both what we call the “dharma-side” and the “person-side.” In 
the traditional teaching of Shin Buddhism, the two sides are considered as 
“One” and studied as being a part of the dharma-side. 
The dharma-side is the Enlightened-Truth of dependent-Origination, 
with its dynamic work and constant movement of the Truth to awaken beings 
to the reality of their lives. The dynamic movement of Enlightened- 
Truth is identified with such terms as Wisdom-Compassion, Light-Life, 
Amida Buddha, Buddha power, Other-power, and as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas 
who constantly work to awaken persons who are absorbed with 
their own afflictions. 
The person-side is the ignorant, ego-centered person who cannot see the 
workings of the dharma-side in their lives because they are caught in their 
own afflictions. people preoccupied with the person-side cannot see or understand 
the cause of their own reality that is referred to as a world of suffering. 
As a consequence, Buddhist studies focus on articulating the dynamic workings 
of the dharma-side. We do not study the person-side because its complexity 
makes it more difficult to retain the authenticity of the dharma-side. This 
approach in our study of Buddhism is still prevalent today. Because we do not 
study our subjective experience, we are not likely it see it in the other, the patient. 
If we focus solely on the objective or dharma side, we cannot listen well 
enough to hear what the patient is saying or come to know their experiences. 
Attending to the person-side: 
The Contribution of Shin Buddhism 
In the thirteenth century, Shinran, the designated founder of Shin Buddhism, 
introduced a new approach based on his own religious journey. He articulated 
that the human journey to religious understanding has to be person centered, 
though scholar-priests tend to think he was strictly doctrine centered 
because he is considered to be the founder of Shin Buddhism and his 
major writing clarifying his thoughts were presented in a highly doctrinal 
manner. Over time and history, the academic study became the foundation 
for the institution of the Shin Buddhist tradition. Through a careful study of 
the person-centered process of working with the person’s issues and life, it 
was possible to find the truth of how the dharma-side relates to those issues. 
Shinran clarified both the workings of the dharma-side and the issues of 
the person-side and showed how they became one. He used the classic word 
“Shinjin” to connect the two polar sides into one experience. Shinjin is often 
translated as faith, entrusting, or is not translated at all because of its complexity. 
It is a key word that connects the dharma-side and the person-side as one, 
even though they appear to be polar opposites. In formation, we have to be able 
to see polar opposites. This is essential to see the totality of one’s experience. It 
is in the balance of two opposites that everything begins. What Shinran points to is 
that the dharma-side is abundantly full. It is important to awaken persons to 
the reality of their true life process because persons do not understand the totality 
of their true human life process. When people are able to see their own emptiness, 
they are filled with the dynamic workings of the dharma-side in their 
lives as they are. This inconceivable transformation toward becoming one is 
an ongoing process of “awakened entrusting or Shinjin” in Shinran’s teaching. 
As we study to find meaning for our ministry or chaplaincy, we need to 
study seriously both the dharma-side and the person-side and see how they 
become one in the dharma. It is a process of learning to see that which connects 
the two sides for ourselves, so that it will be the source of our religious 
life that continues to grow with meaning with each experience we encounter 
in our lives. It is journey to find what is abundantly full and empty and 
find a growing process with fullness in the emptiness that we feel and trust. 
Here, the question may arise, “How does this growth toward oneness 
while still living the paradox influence the practice of spiritual care?” It is in 
being abundantly full and empty that caregivers are truly able to hear, learn, 
guide, and feel the workings of universal wisdom and compassion simultaneously 
working through ourselves and through the patient. And the possibility 
of this growth is enhanced when the caregiver and the patient are one in a 
shared experience of life and growth, yet each in their own way. 
 
Seigen Yamaoka is a core graduate faculty member at the Graduate Theological Union 
and professor of Shin Buddhist Thought at The Institute of Buddhist Studies, 2140 durant 
Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 (Email: saeemi@aol.com). 


Spirituality and Spiritual Care: A Buddhist Perspective

Ward, Frances

Frances Ward, Lifelong Learning: Theological Education and Supervision 
(London: SCM Press, 2011), 208 pp. 
In this slim and engaging volume, Frances Ward draws on current and historical 
literature on supervision and theological education to explore, as her 
Introduction states, “what supervision can offer as an educational means to 
sustain adult learning.” Ward’s emphasis on “educational” here is a rallying 
cry to supervisors of ministers to view their role as training “reflective 
practitioners,” consistent with the view of the clinical pastoral education 
movement. Lifelong Learning takes as its starting place Ward’s experience 
as an Anglican priest, nurse, educator, and supervisor of ministers in the 
Church of England. The book is aimed primarily at those training for church 
ministry and those supervising them, although it also may appeal to practitioners 
wishing to hone their reflective skills. Ward creatively draws on 
Anton Boisen’s notion of “living human documents” by using as primary 
sources six journal excerpts from Anglican ministers in different congregational 
settings. Using these six narratives as a reference point, Ward explores 
seven dimensions (or “anchor ropes”) of reflective practice as they relate to 
real-world ministry challenges. 
One limitation of the book is its nearly exclusive emphasis on Christian 
theology in congregational settings. Readers of this volume who are outside 
the Christian tradition or parish ministry will need to do some translation 
for portions of the book. 
Theoretically, Ward offers primarily a synthesis, which draws from 
sources as diverse as Mikhail Bakhtin and John Hull. The wide range of theorists 
upon which she draws is invigorating. However, at times her presentation 
of the theories feels disjointed rather than truly integrated. 
Despite its few limitations, Ward’s book is engaging and creative. It 
offers a useful introduction to key themes in adult theological education. 
Ward’s dialogical style is inviting and her strategies for supervision and selfreflection 
are valuable across philosophical and theological differences. 
Susan Conrad 
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center 
Berkeley, CA 


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