The Tender Work of Love
Exploring Love through the Eyes of Buddhism and Psychotherapy with Pilar Jennings
Love is one of the most essential forces in human life. And yet, despite its centrality, love is rarely examined with the care it deserves. It can be difficult to define, harder still to embody—especially when shaped by early wounds, unmet needs, or spiritual ideals that may not reflect the complexities of real relationship.
This July, Dr. Pilar Jennings returns to BCBS to guide a yearlong Path Program exploring love as both a spiritual practice and a psychological healing process. Titled Love in Buddhism & Psychotherapy: A Contemplative and Clinical Exploration, this immersive program offers participants a chance to study love not just as a feeling, but as a path of liberation and care.
The program unfolds through three in-person retreats and monthly Zoom gatherings, creating an intimate rhythm of deep retreat and ongoing connection. “We’ll reconnect, nurture our sense of community, review teachings, and deepen our practice,” Pilar shares in a short video recorded for the program. “I’m especially excited about this course, given the pervasive longing to feel, offer, and of course, receive more love—especially in a time when love can so easily get camouflaged by acute stress, anger, and fear.”
“Our primary nature is informed by a deep well of love that merely needs methods to stay in conscious connection with.”
— Dr. Pilar Jennings
For clinicians, this course opens a space to reflect on the therapeutic nature of love—how it arises in the clinical encounter, how to hold it ethically, and how it can support deep healing. Topics include the therapist’s experience of love for the patient, the patient’s longing to be loved, and the subtle balance between affective connection and healthy boundaries.
For meditators, the journey is equally profound. Participants will explore the spiritual challenges of authentic love: how to love with fewer unconscious conditions, how love and equanimity inform one another, and how Buddhist wisdom teachings illuminate the path of healing in relationship.
Pilar describes the program as a shared inquiry into love in its many forms—between parents and children, teachers and students, romantic partners and spiritual friends. Together, participants will explore how both Buddhism and psychotherapy understand the human longing to love and be loved, and how that longing can be met with wisdom and care. “We’ll practice some of the most effective Buddhist methods for coming to experience ourselves and others as reliable sources of love,” Pilar says, “backed by respect and tolerance for difference.”
Those who’ve sat with Pilar before speak of her presence as healing in itself. One past participant wrote, “Pilar connects individually as well as with the group, leaving her students changed for the better and nourished to face their struggles.” Another reflected, “This retreat brought me out of my selfish struggles and into a more directed practice.”
And others echo the same depth of appreciation:
“Pilar was magnificent… the course was dense with material, but well worth it.”
“It reminded me of the power and healing aspects of psychotherapy and Buddhist practices.”
“I felt rejuvenated, grounded, and deeply connected to myself and others.”
The program is open to all—clinicians, meditators, and anyone sincerely curious about love as a path of transformation. No prior experience is required. Just a willingness to show up with your full humanity.
Watch a short message from Pilar Jennings about the program:
Learn More: https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/love-in-buddhism/
