Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City, born in 1944. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998). From 1984 to 2002 he was the editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy, where he lived for ten years with the senior German monk, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (1901-1994), at the Forest Hermitage. He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Ven. Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya, 1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya, 2000), and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya, 2012). In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition.
The strong heart: Compassion amidst grievances, vengeance, and war
with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and Rick Hanson
Join us for an enlightening conversation between Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and GCC President Rick Hanson. Throughout history and in the headlines today, we can see the destructive power of hostility, callousness, and cruelty. Yet, in both the world’s contemplative traditions and in the latest scientific research, we also see the constructive, healing power of compassion and other prosocial qualities. We’ll explore how to mobilize and protect an open, strong heart that sees clearly, holds boundaries, and gradually mends what’s been torn even in the midst of grievous conflicts.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Rick Hanson
This event was held on Thursday, 16th November 2023.
