Refuge in the Storm Buddhist Voices in Crisis Care

24 wise and compassionate Buddhist perspectives on crisis care—contemplative practices and spiritual principles to help individuals, families, and communities in crisis and the care providers who support them.

Refuge in the Storm presents a wide range of Buddhist perspectives on crisis care. Written by experienced chaplains, spiritual teachers, psychotherapists, pastoral counselors, medical providers, and scholars, the essays in this timely anthology explore a spectrum of personal and global crises: climate chaos, COVID, natural disasters, racism, social inequity, illness, and dying.

Drawing on Buddhist principles and practices, these essays offer a wealth of insights for supporting individuals and communities in crisis as well as preventing fatigue and burnout in care providers. The 24 essays in this anthology show readers how to: 
• Provide spiritual companionship to ill, aging, and dying clients
• Infuse crisis care with mindfulness, compassion, prayer, and even playfulness
• Prevent burnout with self-care practices rooted in Buddhist principles 
• Develop self-awareness and self-knowledge as a care provider
• Pursue the path of Buddhist chaplaincy

Edited by Nathan Jishin Michon—Buddhist priest, chaplain, meditation teacher, and editor of A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community—this one-of-a-kind anthology helps care providers develop the compassion, attention, wisdom, and presence needed to support individuals and communities to move through suffering into healing.

NATHAN JISHIN MICHON received a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and holds an MDiv in Buddhist chaplaincy, an MA in Comparative Religion, and a certificate in Advanced Peace and Conflict Studies. He trained at monasteries in Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, the US, and Japan, where he became ordained in the Japanese Shingon Buddhist tradition. He received a Fulbright to complete his dissertation research in Japan to study the emergence of Buddhist chaplaincy after the devastating 2011 tsunami. His own chaplaincy experience includes assisting disaster survivors and leading training workshops. He lives in Japan.