Friday, August 13
Roshi, Koshin and Chodo Speak on Compassionate Care at the First Symposium for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism

Join the Co-Founders and the Guiding Spiritual teacher of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care at a major gathering of western socially engaged Buddhist Activists, Academics

It is a full day with a talk by Jon Kabat-Zinn followed by a panel on Compassionate Care with Roshi Joan Halifax, Frank Ostaseski, Koshin Paley Ellison and moderated by Roshi Enkyo O'Hara.

In the afternoon, Roshi Joan and Robert Chodo Campbell will co-lead a community discussion on chaplaincy.

We are gathering leading Western activist practitioners, academics and sponsors of Socially Engaged Buddhism. Each day there will be a keynote address and panels on special topics. In the afternoon there will be simultaneous presentations and workshops offered as electives in breakout sessions.

We will address special topics in the practice of Socially Engaged Buddhism, such as social service, social justice and activism, conflict resolution, compassionate care, prison work, ecological advocacy and activism, social entrepreneurship, mental health, wellness and body-mind healing practices, and arts for social change.

Moderator: Roshi Enkyo O'Hara

Robert Chodo Campbell, HHC, is a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. He serves on the Core Faculty for the Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Programs. Chodo is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He is Co-Director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Chodo brings his life experience and his Zen and psychoanalytic study to his teachings in the areas of: anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and contemplative approaches to care. He began formal Zen training in 1994 and currently he is a Soto Zen Buddhist Priest, at Village Zendo. He gives plenary addresses, workshops and retreats in a variety of settings from corporations to national healthcare conferences.

Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. He serves as the Director of Training for the Center’s Buddhist Contemplative Care Programs. He is a ACPE Chaplain Supervisory Resident. Koshin is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He is a co-founder of the Buddhist Psychotherapy Collective. Koshin is currently a Jungian Analyst Candidate at the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association. He is the Co-Director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Koshin began Zen practice over twenty years ago, and he is a Senior Soto Zen Buddhist Priest, at the Village Zendo. He gives plenary addresses, workshops and retreats on contemplative based approaches to leadership and care, and meditation in a variety of settings from corporations to national healthcare conferences.

Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and author. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.She has worked in the area of death and dying for over thirty years and is Director of the Project on Being with Dying. For the past twenty-five years, she has been active in environmental work. A Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, her work and practice for more than three decades has focused on socially engaged Buddhism.


In 1987, Frank Ostaseski co-founded the Zen Hospice Project, the first Buddhist hospice in American 2004, he created Metta Institute to bring his work to a broader audience and develop the End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program that Frank leads with faculty members Ram Dass, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Rachel Naomi Remen MD, and many others.Frank is a dynamic, original, and visionary teacher. His public programs have introduced thousands to the practices of mindful and compassionate care of the dying. His groundbreaking work has been widely featured in the media, including the Bill Moyers television series On Our Own Terms, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in numerous print publications. In 2001, Frank was honored by the Dalai Lama for his years of compassionate service to the dying and their families.