Bhikkhu Bodhi

Infobox Buddhist biography
name = Bhikkhu Bodhi


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birth_name = Jeffrey Block
other_names =
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birth_date = 1944
birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, United States
death_date =
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nationality = American
denomination =
school = Theravada
lineage =
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workplace = Buddhist Publication Society
Sangha Council of Bodhi Monastery
Yin Shun Foundation
education = Brooklyn College
Claremont Graduate School
occupation = scholar-monk; president, Buddhist Publication Society
teacher = Ven. Ananda Maitreya
reincarnation_of =
predecessor = Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (BPS editor and president)
successor = Mr. Kariyavasam (BPS editor)
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website =

Listen
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title=" [From the ten lecture series] "
description= The Unconditioned.
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Bhikkhu Bodhi (b. 1944, NYC), born Jeffrey Block, is an American Buddhist monk, ordained in Sri Lanka and currently teaching in the New York/New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

Life

In 1944, Block was born in Brooklyn, NY. In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Brooklyn College. In 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School.See "Climbing to the Top of the Mountain: An interview with Bhikkhu Bodhi" (2002) from "Barre Center for Buddhist Studies" at http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/2002b/bhikkhu_bodhi.htm.]

In 1967, while still a graduate student, Bodhi was ordained as a novice monk in the Vietnamese Mahayana order. In 1972, after graduation, Bodhi traveled to Sri Lanka where, under Ven. Ananda Maitreya, he received novice ordination and, in 1973, he received full ordination in a Theravada order.

In 1984, succeeding co-founder Ven. Nyanaponika Thera,In Bodhi, "Connected Discourses" (2000), p. 5, Bodhi dedicates the tome to "the memory of my teacher Venerable Abhidhajamaharatthaguru Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayaka Thera (1896-1998) and to the memories of my chief kalyanamittas in my life as a Buddhist monk, Venerable Nyanaponika Mahathera (1901-1994) and Venerable Piyadassi Nayaka Thera (1914-1998)".] Bodhi was appointed English-language editor of the Buddhist Publication Society (BPS, Sri Lanka) and, in 1988, became its president."Story of the Buddhist Publication Society" from "Buddhist Publication Society" at http://www.bps.lk/aboutus.asp. During Bodhi's tenure as English-language editor, the Sinhala editor was Ven. Piyadassi until his death in 1998.] According to the BPS "Newsletter" (1^st Mailing 2008, No. 59), p. 7, right hand column, bottom: "Note: The author [Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, related to the article "The Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy: A Brief Account of Its Contributions to Buddhist Literature," pp. 4-7] served as the editor of the BPS from 1984 until 2002 and has remained its president since 1988." (Retrieved 2008-07-29 from "BPS" at http://www.bps.lk/newletter_pdf/nl_59.pdf.)] In 2002, he retired from the society's editorship while still remaining its president.

In 2000, at the United Nations' first official Vesak celebration, Bodhi gave the keynote address. [Bodhi's U.N. keynote address is available at http://www.buddhanet.net/budmsg.htm.]

In 2002, after retiring as editor of BPS, Bodhi returned to the United States. He currently teaches at Bodhi Monastery (Lafayette, New Jersey) and Chuang Yen Monastery (Carmel, New York) and is the chairman of Yin Shun Foundation."Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi" (official biography), retrieved from "Bodhi Monastery" at http://www.bodhimonastery.net/Monastery/Teachers/bhikkhubodhi.html] [For example an example of Bodhi's teaching at the Chuang Yen Monastery, see "Going to the Source of the Buddh's Teaching: A Study Course in the Pali Suttas with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi" from "Buddhist Association of United States" (BAUS) at http://www.baus.org/baus/programs/2008/CourseNotice-Fall_2008.pdf.]

Publications and teachings

Bodhi's publications include:
* "The Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering" (1984, BPS; 2000, Pariyatti) [An on-line edition of "The Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering" (BPS, 1984/1998) is available from "Access to Insight" (1999) at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html.]
* "The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya" (with Bhikkhu Nanamoli, 1995, Wisdom Publications)
* "Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya" (with Nyanaponika Thera, 2000, Altamira Press)
* "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya" (2000, Wisdom Publications)
* "A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha of Ācariya Anuruddha" (2000, BPS Pariyatti)
* "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" (2005, Wisdom Publications)

Bodhi's on-line courses include:
* "The Buddha’s Teaching As It Is" (1981) [His 1981 ten-lecture "The Buddha’s Teaching As It Is" is available at http://www.bodhimonastery.net/courses/TenLectures/TenLectures.html. Bodhi recorded these lectures at the prompting of Bhante Gunaratana.]
* A course in Pali Language (2003) [Bodhi's Pali language course is available at http://www.bodhimonastery.net/courses/Pali/course_Pali.html.]
* Majjhima Nikaya lectures (2003-2008) [Bodhi's Majjhima Nikaya (MN) lectures are available at http://www.bodhimonastery.net/courses/MN/MN_course.html. The structure he provides for the MN suttas later became the general structure he provides for selected suttas from the entire Pali Canon in Bodhi (2005).]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/2002b/bhikkhu_bodhi.htm www.dharma.org entry]
* [http://www.bodhimonastery.net/main.html Bodhi Monastery]
* [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/index.html Online Books and Articles at "Access to Insight"]
* [http://www.suttareadings.net/audio/index-readers.html#bb0 Suttas read aloud]
* [http://www.sobhana.net/audio/english/bodhi/index.htm Dhamma Talks]
* [http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=bhikkhu+bodhi# Videos of Bhikkhu Bodhi at "Google Video"]