Abstract
In contemporary Japan, there is an expectation for Buddhists to listen to the suffering of the patient and be involved in reducing their suffering in any way possible. I have completed the Japanese version of the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), worked as Buddhist chaplains in hospitals
and elderly care facilities, and became a supervisor for several Japanese
CPEs.
Currently I am involved in the practical training program for
“Rinsho-shukyo-shi,” which are Japanese-style “interfaith chaplains.” This
program was established by the Graduate School of Practical Shin Buddhist
Studies of Ryukoku University in 2014. This training has been gradually
improved, with the specific goal of “integration of theory and clinical practice” added in 2018. As a result, the CPE methods of group work, which
has a history of nearly 100 years, was strongly emphasized.
This study discusses this practice as training Buddhists to support
the suffering of the sick, with a particular focus on group work, which is
the narrative of individual “living human documents.” Under my guidance,
through sincere interactions among trainees who have made a promise of
confidentiality to each other, trainees learn experientially about “self-knowledge” and “self-acceptance,” as well as the CPE methods of “support” and
“clarification.” Through this group work, trainees cultivate a state of mind
while facing the hospitalized and deepen and reconstruct their identity as Buddhists.
https://ror.org/012tqgb57 
