The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

History

The Treasure Valley Dharma Friends grew out of the Boise Dharma Center, which has been in Boise, Idaho since around 1980. The Treasure Valley Dharma Friends is a New-Age/Open Path Buddhism group. In 2000, the visit by Venerable Robina Courtin, a Buddhist nun from Australia, marked the first activity of the group. At that meeting, she was asked to be the Spiritual Director of the group.

Challenges and Discrimination

Dharma Friends has faced few challenges since its founding and is received positively by the Boise community.

Demographics

All the religious and social events of the Treasure Valley Dharma Friends are conducted in English, however, Sanskrit is occasionally included in the religious prayers and Tibetan words are referred to in discussions. Half of the group is between 30-40 years of age, but overall the group is comprised of all ages, from teenagers to people who are 70 years old. Many members of the group are not originally from the Boise area.

Activities and Schedule

The Treasure Valley Dharma Friends holds prayers on Saturday at 10 am in the Vietnamese Temple. The prayers begin with a book study, which leads into prayers and meditation. The group then has another session of book study, and concludes with a discussion of the readings.

Four times per year the group hosts visiting teachers to lead prayers and meditations. Additionally, Dharma Friends has two “Introduction to Buddhism” classes a year, each lasting eight weeks. The group also has specialty classes and special events on occasion.

Description

The Treasure Valley Dharma Friends uses the facilities of the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple for weekly prayers, but special events are held in the 3 Shapes Aikido Studio. The Vietnamese Buddhist Temple is a small residential home that has been converted into a temple. It is located in a commercial and residential area of Boise, about 10 minutes from the downtown area. Outside the temple are two shrines holding Buddha statues and small, manicured gardens.