Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944) (比丘菩提;Bǐqiū Pútí) bornJeffrey Block, is an AmericanTheravada Buddhist monk ordained inSri Lanka. He teaches in theNew York andNew Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of theBuddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored many publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Also, he has translated and commentated on a number of Pali texts, using a Theravada Buddhist lens[2]. Additionally, he is the current president of the Buddhist Association of America, and is the founder of the organization Buddhist Global Relief[3].
Block was born in 1944 inBrooklyn, New York, toJewish parents. He grew up inBorough Park, where he attended elementary school P.S. 160[4] and graduated from New Utrecht High School.[5] Following high school, he worked as a door to door salesman selling paintbrushes for a year[6].In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy fromBrooklyn College, where he first encountered Buddhism in books at the bookstore[6]. In 1972, he obtained a PhD in philosophy fromClaremont Graduate University[7][8].
In early 1967, while still a graduate student, he met and moved in with a monk named Thich Gic Duc[9]. During May of 1967, Bodhi was ordained as asāmaṇera (novice) in the VietnameseMahayana order[10], a decision that caused him little inner turmoil[9][11]. During 1971 and 1972, following his graduation, he lived at a mediation center in Los Angeles, here he was introduced to a group of Theravada monks from Sri Lanka[9]. This inspired him to travel toSri Lanka, where, underBalangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero,[12] he receivedsāmaṇera ordination in the Theravada Order and, in 1973, received full ordination (upasampadā) as aTheravādabhikkhu or monk.[13]
In 1984, succeeding co-founderNyanaponika Thera,[14] Bodhi was appointed English-language editor of theBuddhist Publication Society (BPS, Sri Lanka). He became its president in 1988.[1][15][16] In 2002, he retired from the society's editorship while still remaining president.[1][17][16]
In 2000, at the United Nations' first officialVesak celebration, Bodhi gave the keynote address.[18] In 2002, after retiring as editor of BPS,[17] Bodhi returned to the United States. After living at Bodhi Monastery (Lafayette Township, New Jersey),[19] he now lives and teaches atChuang Yen Monastery (Carmel, New York), and as of May 2013 he has been the president of theBuddhist Association of the United States.[15][20] In 2019 he took part in the UN Vesak celebration again, giving a speech that included a call to action for climate change[21].
Bhikkhu Bodhi is founder ofBuddhist Global Relief, an organization that funds projects to fight hunger and empower women across the world.[22]
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2016).The Buddha's Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon.Wisdom Publications.ISBN978-1-61429-355-2.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2020).Reading the Buddha's Discourses in Pali: A Practical Guide to the Language of the Ancient Buddhist Canon.Wisdom Publications.ISBN978-1-61429-700-0.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2023),Noble Truths, Noble Path: The Heart Essence of the Buddha's Original Teachings. Wisdom Publications.
^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 chiefkalyanamittas in my life as a Buddhist monk, Venerable Nyanaponika Mahathera (1901–1994) and VenerablePiyadassi Maha Thera (1914–1998)".
^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 chiefkalyanamittas in my life as a Buddhist monk, Venerable Nyanaponika Mahathera (1901–1994) and VenerablePiyadassi Maha Thera (1914–1998)".
^ab"BPS "Newsletter" (1st Mailing 2008, No. 59)"(PDF).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.
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