Faculty

Dr. Proffitt leads the academic study of religion and Buddhist Studies and is Faculty Advisor to the Buddhist Student Association. He teaches introductory courses and advanced seminars on topics spanning Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, and takes students on field trips to visit Buddhist temples in the Capital Region. He received his PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Michigan and conducted research in Japan as a Fulbright Fellow. His book, Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism, was published in 2023 by the Pure Land Buddhist Studies Series of the University of Hawaii Press. Proffitt is pursuing ordination in the Shin Buddhist tradition and serves the New York Buddhist Church as a Certified Minister’s Assistant and the Albany Buddhist Sangha (albanybuddhist.org) as Dharma leader and Dharma School coordinator.