Although seeds of the idea have probably been floating around for years, a more concrete idea for a volume like this one first surfaced about six years ago, when Lucinda was teaching "Chaplaincy Models and Methods" courses at Hartford Seminary. These courses are foundational exploration of what chaplaincy is all about. Every time she taught this course, Lucinda tried to incorporate volumes highlighting various faith traditions and their approaches to spiritual care. A great example is The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work by Cheryl A Giles & Willa A. Miller (published by Wisdom Books). And every time she taught the course, she also sensed an acute need for a Hindu equivalent to these volumes.
Meanwhile, since 2008 Vineet had been directing Princeton University’s Hindu Life Program and serving as the Hindu chaplain on campus. Princeton’s program was the first full-time program dedicated to supporting Hindu Life on campus, and Vineet was the nation’s first full-time Hindu chaplain at a college or university. While this was exciting work, it also led Vineet feeling the need for a guide book to turn to. When he shared that sentiment with colleagues and mentors, they encouraged him to think about writing or compiling such a book.
Eventually, to deepen his understanding of chaplaincy, Vineet studied under Lucinda. As part of that study, he developed an outline for a book that could serve as a comprehensive exploration of Hindu chaplaincy. The vision that began to take shape was that of an edited volume—an anthology featuring academics, active chaplains, and important voices in the community.
Vineet pitched it to Lucinda and asked her to collaborate. Excited to be on the same wavelength, the two reached out to Jessica Kingsley Publishers—an industry leader with whom Lucinda had worked in the past—with a proposal....which was accepted readily
In the months thereafter, a team of amazing contributors was assembled. Impressively, they met rigorous deadlines for chapter preparation. Edits were made, typos corrected (for the most part), and details finalized. On the auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the final proofs were submitted for publication.
And now, Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care is in print. We hope you will let us know what you think and how you are putting it to use.
In the near future, Vineet and Lucinda will be using this blog to share snippets from the book, reflections from some of the contributors, and their own writing on spiritual caregiving. Please do check back from time to time.