Compassionate Canopy: Practical Buddhist Studies in Canada
This program is an innovative continuing education initiative that aims to bring the wisdom of Buddhism to Canadian lives within their contemporary, multicultural contexts. It will cover the foundational teachings of Buddhism and enhance participants' religious understanding, offering fresh insights to help tackle complex issues and navigate life's challenges. This fosters a more serene, positive demeanour and behaviour in our daily lives.
2025 Course schedules and fees
Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27
10 a.m.–noon Buddhist Mindfulness and Secular Mindfulness
1–3 p.m. Chinese Buddhist Liturgy
Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25
10 a.m.–noon Buddhism and Psychotherapy
1–3 p.m. Tibetan Buddhist Approach to Death and Dying
Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 22
10 a.m.–noon Buddhism and Medicine
Nov. 22
1–3 p.m. Certificate Ceremony
Tuition fees: $2,500 (for five courses)
Inquiries
Email: admissions@buddhistcollegeofcanada.com
Phone: 647-812-3878 ext. 200/647-394-6763
Course descriptions
Buddhism and Psychotherapy
This course is an in-depth examination of the intersection between Buddhist principles and contemporary psychotherapeutic practices. Through a blend of theoretical study, scientific research and empirical data analysis, the course critically evaluates the effectiveness and adaptability of Buddhist practices in addressing mental health issues. Students engage in experiential exercises that integrate Buddhist practices with psychotherapy, enabling them to gain a practical understanding of spiritual approaches to mental health treatment.
Tibetan Buddhist Approach to Death and Dying in Canada
This course offers an in-depth exploration of Buddhist perspectives and practices related to dying and death, using the six bardos of living and dying to illuminate the transition between life and death. Students will engage with teachings on impermanence, mindfulness and compassion, along with rituals, prayers and meditations designed to support people who are dying and their loved ones.
The course examines the bardos as moments of transition—spanning life, dreams, meditation, dying and after-death states—and their relevance in contemporary Canadian contexts, particularly when making healthcare treatment decisions. Practical applications include Buddhist chaplaincy, bereavement practices and ethical considerations in hospice palliative care, with a focus on the Buddhist value of a clear mind.
Through these teachings, students will gain a deeper understanding of death as a natural transition and develop skills to approach it with clarity, wisdom and compassion.
Buddhist Mindfulness and Secular Mindfulness
The course examines the philosophical and practical aspects of mindfulness in Buddhism, delving into its historical development, ethical foundations and meditative practices. Simultaneously, it investigates the adaptation and transformation of these principles into secular mindfulness, as seen in modern therapeutic settings and socially engaged contexts in addressing racial, gender and environmental justice. Students will analyze the similarities and differences in the objectives, methodologies and outcomes of both approaches. This comparative study is designed to facilitate a thoughtful dialogue between traditional spiritual practices and contemporary secular applications, offering valuable insights for both personal development and professional practice.
Buddhism and Medicine
For centuries, Buddhism and medicine have shared an interdependent relationship in understanding and treating the physical, cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions of the human self. This course explores the history, development and current state of that relationship, with a focus on the body in relation to psychospiritual healing.
We begin by examining Buddha Shakyamuni as healer and physician, along with early Buddhist texts on the medico-Buddhist body. The course then explores Tibetan medicine and Buddhism in detail, focusing on the subtle vajra body of winds, channels and drops.
We continue with a study of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism and its integration with biomedicine, using endocrinology and hormones as a case study. Finally, the course highlights the shared role of Buddhism and medicine in promoting psychospiritual healing.
Chinese Buddhist Liturgy
This course offers an exploration of the historical development and spiritual significance of the liturgical practices in Chinese Buddhist temples. A comprehensive study of the intricate world of Buddhist chanting, mantras and ceremonial rituals as they have evolved within China, students will explore how these liturgical elements are rooted in Buddhist scriptures and shape its comprehension and practices. The course will also examine the meanings behind the chants and mantras, their linguistic and philosophical origins and their role in the daily life of Buddhist communities.
Instructors
Jennifer Bright, PhD
Jennifer Bright joined the faculty at Emmanuel College in 2023, having previously taught in the Department for the Study of Religion and the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health minor program at the University of Toronto. Before her appointment, Jennifer worked as a Spiritual Care Practitioner in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital. Her major research and teachings have centred on Buddhism, medicine and healing in contemporary Asian communities. Bright’s current research and teaching focus on Buddhist practical theology and spiritual care, and pedological practices in chaplaincy, spiritual care and spiritually integrated psychotherapy in the Canadian context. She is also exploring spiritually integrated psychotherapy for moral distress/injury for hospital staff and other front-line workers and responders. Bright is also a practicing registered psychotherapist.
Linda Hochstetler
Lama Linda (Linda Hochstetler) has studied mindfulness meditation and Vajrayana Buddhism for more than 25 years. She trained in mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1990s and studied under Namgyal Rinpoche—the first Canadian-born Rinpoche—from 1995 until his death in 2003. She received permission to teach in the Namgyal lineage and studied Vajrayana Buddhism with Qapel (Doug Duncan), who lived at Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Centre in Cranbrook, B.C., until his death in 2024.
A registered social worker with a focus on illness, dying and death, Lama Linda maintains a thriving private practice. She has written and spoken widely on end-of-life issues and in 2021 published her first book, 21 Days to Die: The Canadian Guide to End of Life. She is a mother, wife and friend to many, and encourages students to use their relationships to love deeply and explore the dharma fully.
Lama Linda integrates Buddhist and Western psychotherapeutic practices to support transformative change. She is the co-founder and leader of the Awaken in Toronto Vajrayana Buddhist Sangha and holds membership and liability insurance with the Ontario Association of Social Workers. She regularly presents at hospice palliative care conferences and symposiums across North America, hosts Death Cafes (www.deathcafe.com) and encourages open conversations about our inevitable deaths.
Eleanor Pontoriero, PhD
Eleanor Pontoriero has been a practising Buddhist since 1985. She took formal refuge lay precepts in the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. She continues daily and formal dhamma practice, including retreats with both monastic and lay teachers, and continues to engage in dhamma, sutta and Pali study with Theravada monastic and lay teachers. Teaching at the University of Toronto since 2002, she has taught courses on religious ethics, women's rights, human rights and peace-building in the comparative context, as well as on socially engaged Buddhism and Buddhist and secular mindfulness. She mentors youth, women and marginalized communities engaged in grassroots projects for peace, equity and development locally and globally. Currently, she is the president of the Buddhist Council of Canada and a member of Buddhist Christian Studies, Sakyadhita International and Sakyadhita Canada. She also offers devotional, meditative, and contemplative practices in Buddhist and interfaith contexts in the community as a not-for-profit endeavour.
Henry Shiu, PhD
Henry Shiu is the Shi Wu De Professor in Chinese Buddhist Studies at Emmanuel College. Shiu has a keen interest in the study of Mahayana Buddhism in India, China, and Tibet, particularly in the historical and doctrinal studies of the Madhyamaka and Yogacara traditions. His research specialization is in the theory of the Tathāgatagarbh, or Buddha nature. He also has research interest in contemporary Buddhist movements, Buddhist Chaplaincy and the development of Buddhism in Canada. Besides Buddhist studies, Shiu has also published three books on Western classical music. He is equally enthusiastic about the study of Daoist texts, such as the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, and other Chinese classics like the Yijing (Book of Changes).
Contact information
Buddhist College of Canada, Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden
708 Ski Hill Road, Bethany, ON, L0A 1A0
Contact: 647-394-6763
The Buddhist College of Canada (BCC) is the first Buddhist institution established between a Buddhist organization and a higher education institution. Jointly offered by the Buddhist Association of Canada and the Centre for Religion and Its Contexts at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, BCC represents a milestone in collaborative education.
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned!