Curious about the training

[Ester]

Hi Ester

I see the Treeleaf training programme as providing a basic grounding in the things we need to be a Zen priest - understanding Soto Zen traditions, history, and teachings, and being able to pass those on to others as well as perform ceremonies and assist members with their practice.

Helping people in the sangha and the community is more of a 'learn on the job' experience, under Jundo's watchful guidance, and chaplaincy type work is not taught here directly but something we can choose to take further training in.

My priesthood has focussed a lot on working with people with chronic illness, both in the sangha and the wider community, and I have taken training in order to work on a national chronic illness helpline and would love to do chaplaincy work if my health allowed. I do not expect Treeleaf to train me in that but instead I build on the compassion and wisdom I have hopefully developed as part of the training. In addition I have taken courses in Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Awareness and Prevention.

As well as Seiko, I have a Zen friend in the UK who is a hospital chaplain, and a Zen priest friend in the US who teaches in prisons. It is a beautiful form of taking practice into the world and I heartily recommend the book The Arts of Contemplative Care which looks at the many ways that Buddhists are engaged in chaplaincy work in hospitals, prisons, hospices and the military.

It is great that you are considering this kind of role in your future if it is possible.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

Thanks!
I'm definitely going to read this book.
Before we started talking about these things here in the forum I had no idea that such kind of trainings existed in some countries. It is really exciting for me to know that they do exist. Supporting people in prisons is something that has called me since years ago but so far I didn't know that there were paths to train to do it.

Yes. I'm considering priesthood, although I'm aware that there would be a lot for me to learn first.

Gassho,
Ester

[Seiko]

Hi!
I'm very curious about the training that Treeleaf unsuis undergo.

Hi Ester,
My thoughts and words are those of a novice in training, so a pinch of salt would be useful.

I just thought to say - even though you specifically ask about priest training - that priests are not the only trainees.

You could say that everyone who comes through our doors (to these forums) and sits online with us is a "Trainee" - so we all walk this path together, and learn together (and from each other), whether we are priest or lay person.

So lay people can also think of themselves as Trainees, and Trainees together have respect for each other, love, care, shared experiences, a responsibility for each other.

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah