Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944) () born Jeffrey Block, is an American

Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

ordained in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He teaches in the New York and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the

Buddhist tradition.

Early life

In 1944, Block was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents. He grew up in Borough Park, where he attended elementary school P.S. 160. In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Brooklyn College. In 1972, he obtained a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University.

Career

In 1967, while still a graduate student, Bodhi was ordained as a '' sāmaṇera'' (novice) in the Vietnamese

Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

order. In 1972, after graduation, he traveled to

, where, under Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero, he received ''sāmaṇera'' ordination in the Theravada Order and, in 1973, received full ordination ('' upasampadā'') as a Theravāda ''

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok� ...

'' or monk. In 1984, succeeding co-founder 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 Maha Thera (1914–1998)". Bodhi was appointed English-language editor of the Buddhist Publication Society (BPS, Sri Lanka). He became its president in 1988. In 2002, he retired from the society's editorship while still remaining president. In 2000, at the United Nations' first official Vesak celebration, Bodhi gave the keynote address. In 2002, after retiring as editor of BPS, Bodhi returned to the United States. After living at Bodhi Monastery ( Lafayette Township, New Jersey), he now lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery ( Carmel, New York), and as of May 2013 he has been the president of the Buddhist Association of the United States. Bhikkhu Bodhi is founder of Buddhist Global Relief, an organization that funds projects to fight hunger and empower women across the world.

Personal life

After returning to the United States, Bodhi became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * * * * Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2009). ''The Revival of Bhikkhuni Ordination in the Theravada Tradition''. Inward Path. * * * * * * * * Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2023), ''Noble Truths, Noble Path: The Heart Essence of the Buddha's Original Teachings''. Wisdom Publications.

Wheel Publications (BPS)

*
Nourishing the Roots and Other Essays on Buddhist Ethics (WH259/260)
' *
Transcendental Dependent Arising (WH277/278)
' *
Going for Refuge; Taking the Precepts (WH282/284)
' *
Dana: The Practice of Giving (WH367/369)
' *
Maha Kaccana: Master of Doctrinal Exposition (WH405/406)
' *
Facing the Future: Four essays on the social relevance of Buddhism (WH438/440)
'

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

*
Taste of Freedom (BL71)
' *
The Living Message of the Dhammapada (BL129)
' *
Discourses of the Ancient Nuns (BL143)
' *
The Good, the Beautiful, and the True (BL154)
'

References

External links

Profile at Bodhi Monastery
*
Plemeniti Osmostruki Put
', 2011 (Serbian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bodhi, Bhikkhu 1944 births 21st-century American monks 21st-century Buddhist monks 21st-century American Buddhists Living people Buddhism and Judaism Buddhist translators Converts to Buddhism from Judaism Pali–English translators Theravada Buddhism writers American male non-fiction writers Theravada Buddhist monks American Theravada Buddhists American Buddhist monks American scholars of Buddhism Brooklyn College alumni Claremont Graduate University alumni Writers from Brooklyn People from Lafayette Township, New Jersey People from Borough Park, Brooklyn