Veterans Day 2010

Blessings on all our Nation's Veterans past and present! May they be well and happy.

This year witnessed several accomplishments in Buddhist Military Chaplaincy: two chaplains completed deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan respectively, and we have had several new chaplain candidates accepted into preliminary commissioning programs for the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Also a UK British chaplain visited Buddhist personnel serving in Afghanistan.

We still have more work to do: we still do not have any chaplain candidates for the U.S. AIr Force Chaplain Corps, and we still do not have Buddhist supplies registered in the Department of Defense supply system, due to various reasons. We have had difficulties in creating a Field Service Book; we had contacted several Buddhist organizations for assistance, but some have refused to work with us, due to our association with the Armed Forces. However, I believe there is significantly greater support for Buddhists serving in the U.S. Armed Forces than in the past now that many more people, including non-Buddhist chaplains, recognize the religious and ethnic diversity of the individuals serving, and the growing presence of Chaplains to serve their spiritual needs. Buddhists are in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is my hope that this trend will continue in the future. We are also actively working with the dependents of Buddhist Servicemembers and Veterans, who also fall within the care of all military chaplains. We ask for and welcome your support and prayers.

Namo Amida Butsu

U Student Finds Place for Buddhism in the Army

Just found this article today in the Daily Utah Chronicle! Article can be found here.

U student finds place for Buddhism in the army
By Marie Lenihan-Clarke

Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010
Updated: Thursday, October 21, 2010 13:10


Christopher Reeves
ROTC Cadet Jeffery Gilbert stands in front of the Buddhist temple, the Zen Center.
Cadet Jeffery Gilbert, a junior in philosophy, was accepted to be the first Buddhist chaplain from Utah. He will be one of 1,967 Buddhist chaplains in the acting Army nationwide, according to Sgt. First Class James Benn, special categories chaplain recruiter.
Earlier this year, Gilbert completed a higher part of the ROTC's Leaders' Training Course, becoming a Military Science Three, or third-year equivalent.
Gilbert will work with the chaplain core for the U.S. Army. In order for Gilbert to become a Buddhist chaplain, he must obtain a master's degree in divinity and have the approval of another Army-recognized Buddhist minister.
From a military perspective, Gilbert captures the diversity found within the Armed Forces, said Lieutenant Aaron Weyburn, a gold bar recruiter for the ROTC. The ROTC is raising awareness that practicing religion as well as serving your country is possible in today's society.
"Protecting and serving are quite compatible with Buddhism," Gilbert said. "The use of force or violence is to be avoided, but to what extent differs among some schools of Buddhist thought."
Holding a pacifist role in Buddhism and observing hurt could cause indirect damage and harm, he said.
Understanding that there is more to the Army than force or violence is important too, Gilbert said.
"If you speak to anyone in the Army, they have a strong mentality towards service and protection," he said. "They see their position within the Army as serving the people of the U.S."
Gilbert is furthering his insight into Buddhism as well as other religions through the study of philosophy.
"I take philosophy because it is a personal interest," he said. "Understanding the core issues at the very heart of human existence through philosophical perspectives will allow me to better serve the needs of my community." Since he is a chaplain, a philosophy degree will assist Gilbert to serve all denominations, with a specific focus on Buddhism.
Colonel George Johnson, commander of the U's senior ROTC program, said Gilbert is an asset to the ROTC.
"Cadet Gilbert has the leadership characteristics needed to provide spiritual guidance to our cadets and future soldiers," Johnson said.
m.lenihanclarke@
chronicle.utah.edu
[CORRECTION: The author clearly made a typo in the article above: we do not have 1,967 Buddhist chaplains in the Army - that's nearly the total of the chaplains in all the Armed Forces!]

Buddhist Chaplains Returned from Deployments

Just a note that I have returned from my deployment with Combat Logistics Regiment 15Forward to Afghanistan, and will be resuming my ministry, at Camp Pendleton. Likewise, Chaplain Dyer has returned from his deployment to Iraq. We will use our experiences to help develop resources for American Buddhist military servicemembers. As I stated in previous posts, Brian Nagata of the Numata Center is working on a prototype of a service book and The Teaching of Buddha - Military edition. We can also use our experiences to help new chaplain candidates in developing their own form of Buddhist ministry in the field. More good news to follow!

Namo Amida Butsu

Another U.S. Navy Buddhist Chaplain Candidate

Congratulations to Brett Campbell who also entered the U.S. Navy's Chaplain Candidate Program (CCPO)! Brett will be doing his seminary work at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Naropa University was founded in 1974 by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Bravo Zulu!

Second Buddhist Chaplain to Enter U.S. Navy

Congratulations to SH3(SW) Aroon Seeda who will be commissioned this week as a U.S. Navy Ensign in the CCPO (Chaplain Candidate Program)! So soon we will have two Buddhist chaplains in the U.S. Navy! SH3(SW) Seeda is a former Thai Theravada monk who immigrated to the United States; he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served with distinction aboard the USS Kidd. As a CCPO he will complete his seminary work at the University of the West in Rosemead, California, where several of our Army Chaplain Candidates are studying. He will make a great addition to the Navy Chaplain Corps. Bravo Zulu!

Proposed Guidebook for Buddhist Servicemembers

Mr. Brian Nagata of the Numata Center in Berkeley, California, is currently working on a Guidebook for Buddhist Servicemembers. This guidebook would primarily be for Buddhist lay leaders/readers to conduct discussion or services in the absence of a Buddhist chaplain. It could potentially also be used for information by those interested in Buddhism or even as a source of info for non-Buddhist military chaplains. Right now this book would include the following chapters:

Brief History of Buddhists in the American military
A Brief Introduction to Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths & Eightfold Path – basic explanation
Key Buddhist Terms
25 Basic Questions about Buddhism and American Buddhist Military Personnel
Central Objects of Worship (different Buddha pictures and Dharmacakra)
Sample room layout for conducting a Buddhist Service
Sample layout for the Buddhist Altar
Sample Buddhist Altar Set up instructions
Weekly Buddhist Service – Basic Instructions on how to run the service
Weekly Buddhist Service – Suggested service format
Sample of the laminated “Weekly Buddhist Service” card (to be used by service attendees)
Sacred Sayings from the Sutras
Readings from the Dharmapada
Buddhist Holidays
Short Explanation on “Gassho” (Anjali) – universal Buddhist Gesture
Brief Explanation of the Dharmacacra Dharma wheel symbol
A Brief history of the Recognition of Buddhism and the Dharmacakra by the US Armed Forces
Sample Service Format – Simple ceremony to become a Buddhist
Sample Service Format – Last Rite for a Buddhist Soldier (on the battlefield or in a military hospital)
Sample Service Format – Memorial Service for the Committal Ceremony for a Buddhist Soldier (if not at a Buddhist temple or Buddhist Center).
Items Available for Buddhist Military Personnel
Suggested Reading Material List on Buddhism

This book will try to be inclusive of Buddhist traditions; it would probably be unrealistic to expect that this book could be used for every Buddhist service, given the vast difference of practices, but at the minimum it could serve in the absence of texts or other materials. We would welcome your input!

UWest Alum Now Active-Duty Buddhist Chaplain

From the University of the West Web site:

ROSEMEAD, Calif. – Sept. 7, 2010 – UWest M.Div. in Buddhist Chaplaincy alum Somya Malasri (class of 2010) recently had his degree-work approved by the U.S. Army, allowing him to become the Army’s second active-duty Buddhist chaplain in its history.

“This is great news not just for Somya personally – he has been working toward this goal for many years now – but also for our program,” said Rev. Danny Fisher, Coordinator of UWest’s M.Div. “We’ve put together a very good, very professional program.”

Fisher’s program was launched in 2009 and so far Malasri (who transferred in from UWest’s M.A. in Buddhist Studies program) is its only graduate. Fisher worked closely with Malasri through his studies to his eventual placement as a chaplain serving the Army’s estimated 3,000 Buddhist soldiers.

“With Somya’s going active-duty, we’ve passed a huge test,” Fisher said. “The Department of Defense in particular has the most stringent educational requirements of all the organizations that certify chaplains – they are certainly the body that most narrowly defines what a chaplain's graduate education looks like, at least.”