Sati Center for Buddhist Studies

Anukampa is the profound Buddhist word for the ‘care’ motivating both ordinary and spiritual caregiving. It is the sentiment which inspired the Buddha to teach. In Buddhist practice, it is a form of spiritual care that can be directed to oneself and to others. Anukampa is expressed in each of the four Brahmaviharas or ‘sublime attitudes’ of loving-kindness (metta), sympathetic joy (mudita), compassion (karuna), and equanimity (upekkha). It has its fulfillment in the heart’s full liberation.

The Sati Center’s Anukampa Practice is an 11-month program introducing foundational values of empathy and caregiving as taught in Buddhism. These can be applied directly in our lives: towards ourselves, our friends and family, and people we encounter on a daily basis.

Central to Anukampa Practice will be a study of ten core human needs or values to which the practice of spiritual care chaplaincy is often organized. These will be practiced in conjunction with the Brahmaviharas and the ten Perfections, or Paramis, that give strength, resiliency, and wisdom to our practice and care-giving efforts. We will consider these as follows:

Components of the Practice Program

The Anukampa Practice program has a flexible structure that allows varying levels of participation, according to individual schedules. We recommend participating in all of the components to maximize benefit, but if this is not possible for some, the core segment of the program will be the monthly classes on Zoom.

1. One Monday or Friday morning class each month on Zoom (9:00am – 12:15pm)
2. An optional one-hour Q & A session with one of the faculty once a month.
3. Participants will be assigned an optional Reading/Writing Buddy to meet with monthly.
4. Participants will also be assigned an optional small group of 4-5 other program participants to meet with monthly through the course of the training.
5. Monthly 1-2 page written reflections can be submitted to faculty, and can be read by Reading/Writing Buddy. Note: these are personal assignments and faculty feedback cannot be given.
6. Each month, students will be invited to engage the monthly parami and spiritual theme as a framework for reflecting on their own lives.
7. 2-4 articles related to the themes of each month will also be offered.
8. Completion of written assignments and 90% Zoom attendance will qualify participants for a Certificate of Completion of this program.

What is the difference between Anukampa Practice and Buddhist Chaplaincy Training?

The Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training is a reflective and immersive learning experience for those wishing to deepen and broaden their practice through service and spiritual care, grounded in Buddhist teaching.Included in this learning is the practice of different chaplaincy skills, a developing intimacy with one’s own process of spiritual formation, and a growing awareness of one’s own conditioning and biases.

BCT is especially relevant for those who are interested in, or are already doing volunteering or spiritual care work. The outcomes offered by this program are equally applicable to those wishing to expand their leadership / facilitative skills, and who would like to be actively providing spiritual care within their communities. 

The Chaplaincy program requires that participants are working 10 hours a month in a service position while training. There are two half-day workshops per month and more between-workshop assignments of a postgraduate nature. The cohort is small and intimate,, with a focus on community and interpersonal learning. Participants also engage in 1:1 mentoring with faculty.

Anukampa Practice is a personal practice program centered around an introduction to the values of caregiving and our individual spiritual needs, as listed on this page. It is based on the relational aspects of Dharma teachings. It can be particularly valuable to people in private or familial caregiving positions.

The Anukampa program can be taken standalone, or also as an initial exploration and discernment for Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training. The program’s structure is flexible (see the section below) and allows for varying levels of participation. 

Schedule:

Class dates (9:00am – 12:15pm Pacific Time):

• Monday, September 30^th
• Friday, November 1^st
• Monday, December 2^nd
• Monday, January 13^th
• Friday, February 14^th & Saturday, February 15^th (online mid-year retreat)
• Monday, March 10^th
• Monday, April 7^th
• Monday, April 28^th
• Monday, May 26^th
• Monday, June 16^th
• Monday, July 7^th

Optional Extra Sessions (10:00am – 11:00am Pacific Time)

• Saturday, September 21^st (Opening session) – Vanessa & Gil
• Thursday, October 17^th – Vanessa
• Thursday, November 14^th – Gil
• Thursday, December 19^th – Gil
• Thursday, January 30^th – Vanessa
• Thursday, February 27^th – Gil
• Thursday, March 27^th – Gil
• Thursday, April 17^th – Gil
• Thursday, May 15^th – Vanessa
• Thursday, June 12^th – Vanessa
• Thursday, July 10^th (Closing session) – Vanessa & Gil