Buddhist Mindfulness and Spiritual Care

About

The increasing interest in Buddhist spiritual caregiving and mindfulness is partly due to a disproportionate increase in mental distress and decrease in wellbeing, and the promise and potential of Buddhist approaches to these topics.

The current popularity of mindfulness is at a peak and quite encouraging. However, there is often a lack of authentic input from the ancient Buddhist wisdom traditions. This lack has become an obstacle to deepened, embodied experiences, and has made mindfulness techniques often mechanistic and have diminished their true value and effectivity.

The Buddhism team at the VU aims to cater for the need and the demand for rooted mindfulness by enabling students to explore the holistic and authentic Buddhist tradition that base mindfulness in its natural home.

This course will introduce Buddhist mindfulness in theory and practice with special focus on Spiritual Care. We will learn about the basics of authentic Buddhist practice and mindfulness in context of globalisation; learn mindfulness meditation and practices; we further learn about Buddhist Chaplaincy in theory and practice and learn selected tools of applied Buddhist care such as Insight dialogue.

Course leader

Prof. Dr Bee Scherer

Target group

This course is taught and assessed on Beginner Bachelor's level (completed first year). The course is open to anyone interested in Buddhist Spiritual Care and mindfulness either for their own benefit, acquiring or deepening new knowledge and insights or for those who wish to apply, share and practice mindfulness and spiritual care from a Buddhist perspective in order to help others.

Furthermore, participants of the VU Buddhist mindfulness summer school course will acquire deepened and new insights.

The course is open to everyone including to those who are simply curious; those who are interested as health and care practitioners; to students, professionals, and academics; and also to practicing Buddhists nationally and internationally.

Course aim

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

- Know and understand the foundations of Buddhist Mindfulness
- Have insight into the context and tools of Buddhist mindfulness
- Understand principles and some applications of Buddhist Spiritual Care
- Have a deepened experience and understanding of lived Buddhist engaged practices

Fee info

Students, PhD candidates and employees of VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC or an Aurora Network Partner €765 Students and PhD candidates at partner universities of VU Amsterdam €1035 Students and PhD candidates at non-partner universities of VU Amsterdam €1140 Professionals €1360