Jeffrey Block (born December 10, 1944), better known as Bhikkhu Bodhi, is an American Theravāda monk ordained in Sri Lanka who teaches in the area of New York and New Jersey. He is an author and Buddhist commentator and was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society. He is also the president of the Buddhist Association of America and the founder of Buddhist Global Relief.
Early life Jeffrey Block was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents. He grew up in Borough Park, where he attended elementary school P.S. 160https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6U8-GTX5Puw , time 6:53. and graduated from New Utrecht High School. He then worked as a door-to-door salesman selling paintbrushes. In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Brooklyn College, where he first encountered Buddhism in books at the bookstore. In 1972, he obtained a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University.
Career
In early 1967, while still a graduate student, Block met and moved in with a monk named Thich Giac Duc. In May 1967, he was ordained as a sāmaṇera (novice) in the Vietnamese Mahāyāna order. In 1971 and 1972, after graduating, he lived at a meditation center in Los Angeles, where he was introduced to a group of Theravāda monks from Sri Lanka. This inspired him to travel to Sri Lanka, where, under Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero,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)". he received sāmaṇera ordination in the Theravāda Order and in 1973 received full ordination (upasampadā) as a Theravāda bhikkhu or monk. After that, Bhikkhu Bodhi became particularly interested in the scholarly, textual side of monastic life, and studied many Pali texts under Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero.
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)". Bhikkhu 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, Bhikkhu Bodhi gave the keynote address. In 2002, after retiring as editor of BPS, he returned to the U.S. He lived at Bodhi Monastery in Lafayette Township, New Jersey,McLeod, Melvin, ed. The Best Buddhist Writing 2008, p. 333. Shambhala Publications, 2008. . Accessed May 10, 2017. "Bhikkhu Bodhi, an American Buddhist monk, was ordained in Sri Lanka in 1972.... He currently lives at Bodhi Monastery in Lafayette, New Jersey." and now lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Since 2013 he has been the president of the Buddhist Association of the United States. In 2019 he again took part in the UN Vesak celebration, giving a speech that included a call to action on climate change.
In 2007, Bhikkhu Bodhi founded the organization Buddhist Global Relief. This was inspired by an essay he had written, "A Challenge to Buddhists", published in the Buddhist magazine Buddhadharma. Buddhist Global Relief funds projects to fight hunger and empower women across the world.
Personal life
After returning to the United States, Bodhi became a vegetarian.
Selected publications
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2007). "A Challenge to Buddhists". Lion’s Roar. https://www.lionsroar.com/a-challenge-to-buddhists/ 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)
See also Buddhist Global Relief Buddhist Publication Society Chuang Yen Monastery
Notes
References
External links Profile at Bodhi Monastery Plemeniti Osmostruki Put, 2011 (Serbian)