This momentous work comes out at a time when hospitals, prisons, retirement homes, military installations, and even hospices are trying to measure up to the high standards they have set for themselves. The chaplains writing here come from different Buddhist traditions but share a common vision of their service as bringing "clarity of mind, gentleness of heart, and a listening ear." As Judith Simmer-Brown puts it in the foreword, the spiritual practice of openness is one that stands out in all pastoral work and Buddhist chaplaincy.

In the editor's preface, Cheryl A. Giles, a clinical psychologist and professor, and Willa B. Miller, a Buddhist minister and author, define contemplative care as "the art of providing spiritual, emotional, and pastoral support, in a way that is informed by a personal consistent contemplative or meditation practice." The book is divided into six sections:

• the foundations of the discipline of contemplative care
• the arts of hospital chaplaincy
• the arts of prison ministry
• the arts of college and military chaplaincy,
• the arts of end-of-life care,
• the arts of ministry and the pastoral role of the dharma teacher

We especially appreciated in various essays the inclusion of spiritual practices we hold dear to our hearts such as openness, compassion, listening, kindness, and transformation.