Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care

Vineet Chander is Coordinator for Hindu Life and Hindu Chaplain at Princeton University, and the Veera and Sam S. Jain Scholar of Vedanta Studies at New York University. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School. He is also co-author of Hindu Chaplaincy (OCHS, 2017). Lucinda Mosher, Th.D, is Faculty Associate in Interfaith Studies at Hartford Seminary (Connecticut); former director of its Multifaith Chaplaincy Program; and author of various books and articles pertaining to spiritual care in multireligious contexts and other interreligious concerns. She is based in northeast Florida, where she operates NeighborFaith Consultancy.

This landmark volume is a critical addition to the new conversation regarding Hindu chaplaincy in the United States. The depth and breadth of the volume highlights the challenges and complexities facing Hindu chaplains, as well as their unique and creative opportunities for engagement and support. As the religious landscape of the United States continues to shift, Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care illuminates a path forward not just for Hindu chaplains, but for all chaplains working in a multi-religious ecosystem.

• 1. The Necessity of a Hindu-American Chaplaincy (Rita Sherma). 2. Theoretical Foundations for Hindu Chaplaincy (Varun Khanna). 3. An Advaita Vedanta Theology of Spiritual Care: Reverence, Diversity and Detachment (Anantanand Rambachan).4. A Theology of Spiritual Care from a Bhakti Tradition (Shaunaka Rishi Das). 5. Body, Mind, and Breath: Yoga as a Framework for Integrative Spiritual Care (Christopher Key Chapple). 6. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali in the Context of College Chaplaincy (Vineet Chander). 7. The Bhagavad-Gita's Theological Anthropology as a Foundation for Hindu Pastoral Care (Viraj Patel). 8. Rama in the Forest: A Hindu Framework for Grief Resolution from the Valmiki Ramaya?a (Ramakrishnan Parameshwaran). 9. Does God Really Care? A Hindu Response to the Problem of Suffering (Gopal K. Gupta). 10. How Does the Goddess Help Us Handle Pain and Suffering? A Sakta Theological Foundation for Hindu Chaplaincy (Rachel Fell McDermott). 11. Lessons from the Upanishads for the Spiritual Caregiver (Madhu Vedak Sharma). 12. Becoming Board-Certified: a Trail-Blazing Chaplain's Reflection (Swami Sarvaananda). 13. The Hospital Chaplain at Work: A Hindu Perspective (Shama Mehta). 14. Connecting to the Energy of Grace: End-of-Life Care (Joseph Ghanashyam Caruso). 15. Hindu Chaplaincy as Karma Yoga in the Tradition of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda: An Interview with Swami Tyangananda (Jeffery Long). 16. A Hindu Chaplain at a Jesuit Catholic University (Brahmachari V. Sharan). 17. Space for Spiritual Care (Asha Shipman). 18. Spirituality in University Community and Diversity (Tahil Sharma). 19. Where the Soldier is a Hindu: Spiritual Care for Military Personnel (Vineet Chander and Lucinda Mosher). 20. Tough Love: Prisons, Hinduism and Spiritual Care (Ramdas Lamb). 21. Hinduism and Coaching in the Corporate Realm (Rasanath Das). 22. Nurturing Knowledge: The Importance of Hindu Academics as Spiritual Caregivers (Murali Balaji). 23. Vocational Counselling: A Hindu Approach (Pulin Sanghvi). 24. Hindu Spiritual Care of LGBTQ People (Raja Gopal Bhattar). 25. The Food-Centric Chaplain (Vaishali Gupta Chandrashekar). 26. Spiritual Counselling Prior to a Wedding: A Hindu Approach (A. V. Srinivasan). 27. Hindu Approaches to Climate Trauma (Gopal D. Patel). 28. Dealing With Trauma: Re-interpreting Hindu Narratives as Lessons for Healing (Shrestha Singh).