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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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 The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status, whose objective is to disseminate the teachings of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratn ...

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 Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

. In 1972, he obtained a PhD in philosophy from

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

Career

In 1967, while still a graduate student, Bodhi was ordained as a ''

sāmaṇera A (Pali; ), is a novice male monk in a Buddhist context. A female novice nun is in , and in or . In Tibetan Buddhism, a female novice nun is known by the Tibetan language term , and a male novice monk is a .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 Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero () (23 August 1896 — 18 July 1998) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was one of the most distinguished scholars and expositors of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was highly respected by Sri La ...

, he received ''sāmaṇera'' ordination in the Theravada Order and, in 1973, received full ordination (''

upasampadā Upasampadā (Pali) literally denotes "approaching or nearing the ascetic tradition." In more common parlance it specifically refers to the rite and ritual of ascetic vetting (ordination) by which a candidate, if deemed acceptable, enters the co ...

'') as a

Theravāda ''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 '' Dhamma'' in ...

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 Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera (July 21, 1901 – 19 October 1994) was a German–Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society and a ...

,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 Piyadassi Maha Thera (, 8 July 1914 – 18 August 1998) was a Theravada, Theravādin Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist monk and preacher of the Buddhadharma, Dharma, both in Sinhala language, Sinhalese and in English. He was born on 8 July 1914 a ...

(1914–1998)". Bodhi was appointed English-language editor of the

(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 Vesak (; Sanskrit: '), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Visak Bochea and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. It is among the ...

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 Lafayette Township is a township located in the Skylands Region of Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 2,358, a decrease of 180 (−7.1%) from the 2010 census coun ...

), he now lives and teaches at

Chuang Yen Monastery Chuang Yen Monastery () is a Buddhist temple situated on in Carmel Hamlet, New York, Carmel, Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, in the United States. The temple is home to the largest indoor statue of a Buddha ( ...

(

Carmel, New York Carmel (pronounced ) is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 33,576. The Town of Carmel is on the southern border of Putnam County, abutting Westchester County, ap ...

), 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 Buddhist Global Relief is an organization of socially engaged Buddhists with a mission to "combat chronic hunger and malnutrition". It was founded by Bhikkhu Bodhi in 2008. History When the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami happened, Bhik ...

, 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