Buddhist Ministry Initiative

Duncan Gardner, MDiv ’14, is one of the growing number of alumni of the HDS Buddhist Ministry Initiative (BMI), the first program of its kind at a divinity school associated with a major research university. He tells the inmates in the Tennessee prison...

In March 2017, the Buddhist Ministry Working Group convened at Upaya Zen Center, in Santa Fe, New Mexico for three days of conversation, collaboration, and contemplative practice. This gathering was part of a series of meetings hosted by Harvard Divinity...

Established with a 2011 gift from the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, HDS’s Buddhist Ministry Initiative (BMI) has become a major draw for students from and of that tradition. In fact, there are now more Buddhists at HDS than Unitarian Universalists...

In December 1815, President John T. Kirkland, appealed for support of the “best and noblest cause, which human benevolence is permitted to advance”: the education of ministers at Harvard University. His letter to the School’s alumni described society’s...

Only two years after its launch in April 2014, the Campaign for HDS is already having an impact on every aspect of the School's mission. New professorships enable HDS to extend its expertise in the study of the world's religious traditions and the ways...

"The classroom atmosphere is vibrant, the professors are some of the best in the world, and the field education experience is transformative." Upali Sramon, a 2013–14 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Scholar with the Buddhist Ministry Program, discusses...

Scholars and educators discuss the different ways Asian and Western Buddhists engage in ministry at "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?", a conference hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Buddhist Ministry Initiative. The conference, funded...

Scholars and educators discuss how to train Buddhist students to be chaplains in religiously diverse settings. The panel took place on April 24, 2015 at "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?", a conference hosted by Harvard Divinity School's...

Scholars and educators discuss the traditional ordination pathways for Buddhist ministry at "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?", a conference hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Buddhist Ministry Initiative. The conference, funded by the...

Scholars, students, and educators discuss the challenges, insights, and questions of training for Buddhist ministry at the Buddhist Ministry Initiative's recent conference, "Education and Buddhist Ministry: Whither—and Why?" The conference, funded by the...