Seminar 79 Translating Care: Language, Belonging, and Buddhist Chaplaincy in the Hospital
What does it mean to offer spiritual care in a multilingual and multicultural hospital? Drawing from my master's research on Asian and Asian American Buddhist chaplaincy in the United States, alongside my experiences as a multilingual Buddhist serving as an interfaith chaplain in a large urban safety-net hospital in Boston, I will reflect on how language, culture, and religious identity shape encounters at the bedside. Through stories of accompanying careseekers, we'll explore translation as a practice of recognition, relationship-building, and compassionate presence, while considering how language and institutions shape what counts as spiritual care.
Speaker: Jiamin Li Chaplain-in-Training M.Div.2026 Harvard Divinity School
Saturday, August 8, 2026 6:00-7:30 am (Los Angeles) 9:00-10:30 am (NYC/Boston) 9:00-10:30 pm (Beijing)
