Zen · Santa Fe, NM, United States
A Santa Fe, New Mexico Zen center with retreats, workshops, daily meditation, and weekly Dharma talks on Buddhist teachings. Certificated Buddhist Chaplaincy and Professional Training in Contemplative End of Life Care.
Buddhist Chaplaincy Training at Upaya Institute and Zen Center is a two-year hybrid certificate program in Buddhist chaplaincy and contemplative care, run from Upaya's Santa Fe campus with online segments between in-person residencies. Upaya is a Soto Zen lineage center founded by Roshi Joan Halifax, who has been a major figure in engaged Buddhism and end-of-life care for decades. The chaplaincy program is one of the most established Buddhist chaplaincy pathways in North America. The program trains chaplains in the Zen lineage to serve in clinical, palliative, hospice, prison, and community contexts. Halifax's work in end-of-life care, contemplative neuroscience, and engaged Buddhism shapes the curriculum, which integrates Zen practice, contemplative care skills, ethics in clinical and end-of-life settings, and supervised field placement. The program is recognized within the broader chaplaincy field and prepares graduates for chaplaincy work alongside the standard CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) units that most institutional chaplaincy roles require. What the two years deliver: in-person residencies at Upaya combining sustained Zen practice with classroom instruction; online study between residencies on contemplative care, chaplaincy ethics, and clinical skills; supervised field placement in a chaplaincy setting; and integration with broader chaplaincy professional development including CPE pathways. The Zen practice anchor is non-negotiable; this isn't a non-religious chaplaincy training that uses Buddhism as flavor. The credential is Upaya's Buddhist Chaplaincy certification, recognized within the chaplaincy field as Buddhist-lineage trained. For graduates pursuing institutional chaplaincy roles, this typically pairs with CPE units and any institutional credentialing the employer requires (board certification, denominational endorsement, etc.). The credential is the strongest Buddhist chaplaincy training currently available to Western practitioners outside specific monastic ordination tracks.
The two years cover Zen practice, contemplative care skills, chaplaincy ethics, and supervised field work. Zen practice runs continuously: zazen, kinhin, oryoki during residencies, dharma study, and the residential rhythms of Zen training. Contemplative care covers presence at the bedside, holding strong emotional content, working with grief and dying, and the specific skills end-of-life chaplaincy requires. Chaplaincy ethics covers scope of practice, working in multifaith institutional contexts, navigating clinical hierarchies, and the ethical complexities specific to Buddhist chaplaincy in non-Buddhist settings. Field placement runs through the program in a chaplaincy setting (hospice, hospital, prison, community), with supervision through Upaya faculty alongside any institutional supervisor. Reading covers Buddhist sutras, contemporary Buddhist chaplaincy literature (Halifax's published work figures prominently), and the broader chaplaincy professional literature. Final integration includes a written project and demonstrated competence in chaplaincy practice.
Delivery is hybrid: residential intensives at Upaya's Santa Fe campus combined with online study and supervised field placement between residencies. Residencies are immersive Zen training periods, not classroom workshops; students sit zazen on the standard Upaya schedule alongside the program work. Cohort sizes are kept small for direct teacher response and mentorship. Faculty include Halifax and Upaya's senior teachers alongside chaplaincy supervisors with field experience. Field placement is the integrative thread across the two years.
Graduates receive Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy certification recognized within the chaplaincy field as Buddhist-lineage trained. They're prepared for chaplaincy roles in clinical, hospice, palliative, prison, and community settings, typically alongside CPE units and any institutional credentialing the role requires. The credential isn't a state-licensed clinical credential; it's a religious chaplaincy credential within the Zen lineage, recognized by chaplaincy professional bodies. Common post-graduation paths include institutional chaplaincy roles, hospice and palliative chaplaincy, prison chaplaincy, and integrating chaplaincy skills into existing healthcare practice.
Sustained Zen or Buddhist practice with significant retreat history is expected; this is non-negotiable for the chaplaincy work the program prepares graduates for. Most successful applicants have years of practice and prior retreat experience at Upaya or comparable centers. No prior chaplaincy or healthcare credential is formally required, but most students have professional or vocational backgrounds that connect to chaplaincy work. Applicants should be ready for the time commitment and the financial cost of a two-year hybrid program with residential travel.
Among Buddhist chaplaincy training programs, Upaya's pathway sits alongside the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care's Buddhist chaplaincy training and the Maitripa College pathway in Tibetan tradition. Compared to general chaplaincy programs without Buddhist lineage anchoring, this is explicitly Zen-lineage trained. Compared to standard CPE units alone, this is broader Buddhist chaplaincy education that integrates lineage practice with clinical skills; CPE typically pairs with this rather than substitutes. The program is one of a small number of recognized Buddhist chaplaincy training routes for Western practitioners.
| Location | Santa Fe, NM, United States |
| Country | United States |
| Tradition | Zen |
| Format | In-person, Online |
| Duration | 2 years |