Tag Archives: Compassion Consortium

May 29 – “Our Life Is Our Path”

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Today’s senryu: Our Life Is Our Path

How did I get here?

Where am I going today?

I pause, breathe and smile.

If I had to label my spiritual path, Zen Christian comes close to describing it. This Summer I’m scheduled to be “ordained,” first as an Interspecies, Interspiritual Animal Chaplain through Compassion Consortium and later as a lay brother in the Order of Interbeing, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Tradition.

Below are two quotes which explain how I see my Zen Christian practice today.

First, “to be a human being is to be a knower and a lover of nature and spirit, because to be human is to be both.” Dr. Christopher Baglow (https://strangenotions.com/two-paths/)

Science and Faith: Two Paths of Knowledge

The second quote comes from Thich Nhat Hanh:

“We enter the path of practice through the door of knowledge, perhaps from a Dharma talk or a book. We continue along the path, and our suffering lessens, little by little. But at some point, all of our concepts and ideas must yield to our actual experience. Words and ideas are only useful if they are put into practice. When we stop discussing things and begin to realize the teachings in our own life, a moment comes when we realize that our life is the path, and we no longer rely merely on the forms of practice. Our action becomes ‘non-action,’ and our practice becomes ‘non-practice.‘” from The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh (c) Broadway Books, p.122

“Thích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who lived in southwest France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16 and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He was often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209574.The_Heart_of_the_Buddha_s_Teaching

Feb 25 – Two Tramps in Mud Time by Robert Frost

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The last stanza of one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems is both support and challenge to my new vocation as an animal chaplain. The stanza goes like this:

“But yield who will to their separation,

my object in living is to unite

my avocation and my vocation

as my two eyes make one in sight.

Only where love and need are one,

and the work is play for mortal stakes,

is the deed ever really done

for Heaven and the future’s sakes.”

Tomorrow, I will receive a certificate of completion for animal chaplain training through Compassion Consortium (https://www.compassionconsortium.org/training). As the program describes:

Animal chaplains provide support for both animals and humans by using ritual, ceremony, and the tools of spiritual companionship. Compassion Consortium’s Animal Chaplaincy Training helps you fulfill your heart’s call to honor and celebrate the lives of all species, including how to companion them through joys and challenges.

This six-month program was offered to:

  • Healers and spiritual directors/mentors who’d like to expand their yoga, coaching, massage, therapy, reiki, veterinary, or spiritual counseling, or wellness practice to support animals and their humans through spiritual practices, rituals, and sacred listening 
  • People interested in diving deeper into the intersection of spirituality and science, such as the empirical evidence for improved health and wellness benefits of human-animal bonds 
  • Staff and volunteers working in animal shelters/sanctuaries, veterinary practices, humane education, or vegan advocacy who are interested in integrating spirituality and wellness into their organization

I’d like to think that I fit in all three categories above. Now that I’ve completed this part of the program, I will continue on for another 3+ months toward ordination in late June.

As Robert Frost referred to his role above, I hope to combine my author and animal shelter roles into one so that I may serve both animal and humans more effectively. Ultimately, my goal is to live up to the Compassion Consortium objective to “honor animal lives and heal human hearts.”

With the support of family & friends, not to mention Heaven and Mother Earth, may it be so.

_/\_

Jan 23 – Four Roles of an Animal Chaplain

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Donna Rae Yuritic’s Compassion for Creatures Animal Ministry https://tucson.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/animal-chaplain-brings-peace-to-many/article_026dfee4-b9ca-50e5-a4f7-165c63ad5b06.html

Yuritic estimated, as of 2008, there were “50 animal chaplains in the U.S. and Canada.” That number has grown significantly since due to her work and that of Reverend Sarah Bowen.

Sarah Bowen’s roadkill ministry http://www.modernreverend.com/about-rev-sarah.html

What does an animal chaplain do? Sarah Bowen identifies at least four roles in a Tricycle magazine article. https://tricycle.org/article/animal-chaplain/

Those roles are: “animal chaplains primarily help people with

  1. end-of-life care and the grieving process for the animals who often become an integral part of our families but whose deaths we tend to not process as fully. The job can also entail
  2. working with animals in shelters,
  3. addressing behavioral problems through interspecies spiritual practices, and
  4. animal advocacy.” https://tricycle.org/article/animal-chaplain/

Or, stated another way on Sarah Bowen’s website, ModernReverend.com:

  1. Supporting animals
  2. Promoting human/animal bonds
  3. Sacred Sendoffs
  4. Advocating for non-human animals

If you’re interested in “honoring animal lives and healing human hearts” check out Sarah Bowen’s companion website Compassion Consortium: https://www.compassionconsortium.org/training