College of Idaho to host lecture on Buddhism in America

2011. 01. 25.

Anne Spencer, a visiting instructor of religion at The College of Idaho, will present the illustrated lecture “Tokudo: The Home-Leaving Ordination” at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, in Room 106 of the Kathryn Albertson International Center on campus. The presentation will discuss the meaning and history of Tokudo ordination in the context of the history of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (both in Japan and in the Treasure Valley) and in relation to issues facing the development of Buddhism in America.

Spencer was one of 10 Americans to receive Tokudo ordination in the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition last October in Kyoto, Japan. In comparison, roughly 400 Japanese citizens receive Tokudo in a typical year. Individuals accepted for Tokudo have had training in Jodo Shinshu ritual, teachings, and history and are sponsored by their local temple and the Buddhist Churches of America, with ordination immediately preceded by an intensive training period at a dedicated training facility in Kyoto.

Spencer is a member of the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple in Ontario, where she is a volunteer minister's assistant. She is in the final third of her master's program in Buddhist Studies at Graduate Theological Union/Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California. Spencer received a master's degree in genetic counseling from the University of California-Berkley in 1991, and has worked in Washington and Idaho as a certified genetic counselor. Spencer will teach two sections of an Introduction to Buddhist Studies class this spring at The College of Idaho.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state's oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.