Buddhist Chaplaincy and the Power of Narrative
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Awakening Through Story: Buddhist Chaplaincy and the Power of Narrative Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for The Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe, NM Trace Tessier March 2012 - March 2014 AWAKENING THROUGH STORY: BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY AND NARRATIVE 2 Table of Contents Abstract 3 Acknowledgements 4 1 Introduction and Motivation 5 2 Study and Learning – Literature Review 10 2.1 Applications of Story in Chaplaincy and in the Healing Arts 10 2.2 The Essence of the Contemplative Approach 14 2.3 Compatibility with Buddhist Practice 23 2.4 Healing the Distress of Modernity 27 3 Inner Chaplaincy – Spiritual Formation and the Articulation of a ‘Theology 35 of Ministry’ 4 Outer Chaplaincy – A Pilot Project 40 4.1 Choosing a Narrative and Initial Insights 42 4.2 Deepening the Inquiry and Finding Closure 45 4.3 Reconnecting to and Conversing with the Sacred 49 5 Narrative Contemplation and Practical Chaplaincy – Identifying General 52 Principles 5.1 Unpacking the Format of the Workshop 53 5.1.1 Permission 53 5.1.2 Autonomy 55 5.1.3 Perspective 56 5.1.4 Validation 59 5.2 Future Directions – Narrative Contemplation and Elder Care 60 Appendix A (Workshop participants group photo) 64 Appendix B (Mollie’s picture) 65 Appendix C (Kelly’s excerpt from Same Kind of Different as Me) 66 Appendix D (Sandi’s list of friendship quotes) 67 Appendix E (Mollie’s short story) 69 Appendix F (Meg’s quilt) 70 Appendix G (Kelly’s poem) 71 Appendix H (Susan’s painting and life-story ‘rewrite’) 72 References 73 AWAKENING THROUGH STORY: BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY AND NARRATIVE 3 Abstract The Buddha saw clearly the vital importance of cultivating the capacity to recognize, appreciate, nurture, and be nourished by the deeply mysterious, often painful, and yet strangely complete and harmonious nature of phenomenal existence; an invaluable endeavor both in the context of individual spiritual practice, and in terms of our fundamental engagement with the world as chaplains. Toward this end, I propose that contemplative study, active reinterpretation, and creative expression of our ever-evolving understanding of the narrative strains that call to us on an intuitive level gives rise to an intimate process that can be practiced in solitude or readily shared with others, and which in either case excels at creating and strengthening a profound sense of connectedness and wholeness. After highlighting and synthesizing relevant observations from the current literature, the potential of this approach will be investigated in two complementary and yet mutually supportive ways. First, I will argue that a direct and ongoing dialogue with the foundational stories, myths, and legends of Buddhism (as well as that of other philosophical and spiritual traditions), can be invaluable in clarifying, supporting, and enriching both one’s personal practice and one’s service in the world as a chaplain. Second, I will report on the results of a seven-week ‘pilot project’, during which time I guided five volunteers participating in a combination of tai chi exercises, mindfulness practices, and the contemplation and eventual reinterpretation of personally meaningful stories or other narrative-provoking experiences of their choosing; all culminating in individual creative expressions of their insights. The format of this mini-workshop is then further unpacked in terms of four discernible stages; each of which is found to have engendered a fundamental and advantageous shift in our group’s relationship to the realm of story. Finally, I end by proposing several directions for potential future research along these lines, focusing in particular on the field of elder care. AWAKENING THROUGH STORY: BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY AND NARRATIVE 4 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who helps to sustain the nurturing and transformative container of Upaya Zen Center’s Chaplaincy Training Program. Special thanks especially to Roshi Joan Halifax, the architect and heart of the program, the inexhaustibly patient Program Director Maia Duerr, and Sensei Hozan Alan Senauke for his wise and grounded presence and teachings. Many thanks also to the amazing residents and staff. I am also indebted to the many faculty members and visiting teachers from whom I have had the privilege of learning including: Irene Bakker, Stephen Batchelor, Joseph Bobrow, Brian Byrnes, Ram Dass, Malka Drucker, Norman Fischer, Bernie Glassman, Merle Lefkoff, Laurie Leitch, Noah Levine, Cheri Maples, David Martinez, Fleet Maull, Richard Murphy, Shinzan Palma, Ray Olson, Peggy Patterson, Erika Rosenberg, Javier Sicilia and the Caravan for Peace and Social Justice, Kazuaki Tanahashi, Robert Thomas, Sarah Vekasi, and Pierre Zimmerman. I offer my gratitude to everyone in cohort 4 for your welcoming presence and guidance, to my compatriots in cohort 5 for your generosity of spirit and companionship along the way, and to cohort 6 for your contagious enthusiasm. Special thanks to my program mentor Donna Kwilosz for her unwavering support, wisdom, and kindness, and to the other members of our mentoring circle (Anya, Pamela, Ted, and Wade) for your insight and friendship. My deepest appreciation also to the members of cohort 6 (David, Gillian, Judy, Karin, and William), whom I have had the great fortune of serving as mentor, and who have taught me so much. Finally, a very special thank you to my teacher Sensei Beate Stolte, who’s wisdom, encouragement, relentlessly questioning mind, and genuine kindness are constant inspirations to me; to the courageous women (Kelly, Meg, Mollie, Sandi, and Susan) who participated in the narrative pilot project; to my parents, family, and friends; and especially to my wife Lori, my best friend and the love of my life, for her enthusiastic support, friendship, and love. Thank you! AWAKENING THROUGH STORY: BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY AND NARRATIVE 5 Awakening Through Story: Buddhist Chaplaincy and the Power of Narrative 1 Introduction and Motivation “Stories…readily incorporate themselves into our felt experience; the shifts of action echo and resonate our own encounters—in hearing or telling the story we vicariously live it, and the travails of its characters embed themselves into our own flesh.” – David Abram Everyone knows the feeling of being gripped by a compelling story. From our first bedtime story to campfire tales, epic poems, TV news magazine programs, the enviable obituary we hope to leave behind, and everything in between, at one time or another each of us has been captivated by a plotline, discovered that we were strongly identified with a particular character or scene, or simply came to recognize how we continually tell ourselves and others the story that is our life. Maybe it is a book, a film, a play, or a yarn told in a hushed voice by a conspiratorial grandparent that strikes some inner chord. Or maybe a storyline somehow subtly insinuates itself in the mind; inspired by a piece of music or art. Regardless of the source or the medium, certain narrative forms possess formidable power to command our interest. Though the specifics of exactly what speaks to each of us may differ in terms of topic, genre, style, presentation, and a host of other factors, upon a little reflection each of us can probably list several stories that we consider to be deeply and personally meaningful – even if we cannot immediately put into words exactly why we feel this way. Far from simply being an interesting albeit harmless idiosyncrasy, such strongly felt identifications might hold the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of the unconscious metaphors and narratives that shape and inform our attitudes and relationships; both toward ourselves and toward others. While we all have our own favorites, cherished in large part because of our unique experiences and individual temperaments, there is no denying the existence of certain recurrent themes that run through the myths, legends, fables, poetry, art, and song of humankind as a AWAKENING THROUGH STORY: BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY AND NARRATIVE 6 whole. Not only does this observed commonality imply the possibility of creating healing and nourishing relationships through the medium of story-telling and story-sharing as it has been practiced since antiquity in the process of council (Zimmerman & Coyle, 1996, pp. 72 - 75). It also suggests that, as we glean insights about ourselves by deeply contemplating the stories that hold meaning for us, we are also learning profound lessons about our world and those with whom we share it. In this vein, David Loy highlights the unique capacity of stories to inspire, lend insight, remind us of those oh-so-important lessons that we already know but so easily forget, and do grave damage when we mistake them for reality, in his suggestively titled book The World is Made of Stories (2010). Yet there is also the ever-present danger that the stories we tell ourselves and others could easily become an escape mechanism; a means of avoiding the painful realities of our lives. According to Zen teacher Norman Fischer, it was just this recognition that led the Buddha to devise the doctrine of ‘no-self’, not as he puts it, because the self does not exist, but because “every story, by hooking us to its plotline and shaping us through its narrative structure, says far too much that is not true, and far too little that is” (2008, p. 15). It is important to point out, however, that this admonition forms just one small portion of an entire book dedicated to the transformative and healing power of story; in this case, a reinterpretation of Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey as a roadmap of the spiritual journey. In any event, we must acknowledge that the mistaking of our internal narratives for reality is, for most of us, a deeply ingrained habit. Fortunately, the Buddha also proposes a corrective to our automatic tendency to unquestioningly believe our thoughts: mindfulness.