What We Do

"Do not close your eyes before suffering. Find ways to be with those who are suffering by all means, including personal contacts and visits, images and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world." Gautama Buddha

Twenty-five hundred years ago the historical Buddha established a practice to address suffering, old age, sickness and death. In this tradition, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care was established in New York City to transform the suffering of the world through chaplaincy work and training, contemplative care educational retreats, and outreach programs.

The Center is committed to serving people who are undergoing unique, often very challenging, experiences in hospitals, hospices, juvenile detention centers and a variety of other settings. It provides services within institutions as various as a residence for people living with HIV/AIDS, an integrative medicine center and a police precinct. The Center’s staff chaplains volunteer in our outreach programs at Beth Israel Medical Center, the Continuum Center for Health and Healing, and the Robert Mapplethorpe AIDS Residence.

Rose was just one of the people we worked with this past year. In September 2006, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The hospital treating her could no longer be of help. We were there to support her in her search for meaning at this critical time. In conversation, Rose said it best: “I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that I am going to die very soon. I never expected it to be such a joyous experience. I feel the most loving I’ve been in my life.” Rose died peacefully in hospice in July, 2007.

In 2007:

• 36 men and women engaged in our yearlong Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program touched many lives.
• 1,295 individuals received contemplative care in the face of death, cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses
• 235 family members and friends received contemplative care as they dealt with grief, mourning and loss
• 1,320 hours of compassionate care were given by our volunteer chaplains in just the first three months
• 400 staff people in prisons, hospitals, and hospices received spiritual care, including doctors, nurses, social workers and officers
• 280 contemplative care and meditation groups were run by our volunteer chaplains
• 27,000 people visited the www.zencare.org web site this year
• 450 men and women from the general public received education in topics such as death and dying, Buddhist approaches to death, addictions and spirituality, and contemplative practices.