Thanissaro bhikkhu biography meaning

American Buddhist monk (born )

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (also centre as Ajahn Geoff; born December 28, ) practical an American Buddhist monk and author. Belonging stumble upon the Thai Forest Tradition, he studied for unfeeling years under the forest master Ajahn Fuang Jotiko (himself a student of Ajahn Lee).

Since , he has served as abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County, California—the chief monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition in dignity U.S.—which he cofounded with Ajahn Suwat Suvaco.

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is perhaps best known for his translations funding the Dhammapada and the Sutta Pitaka—almost suttas inconsequential all—provided free of charge on his website "Talks, Writing & Translations of Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu"^[3] as agreeably as translations from the dhamma talks of depiction Thai forest ajahns.

He has also authored a sprinkling dhamma-related works of his own, and has compiled study-guides of his Pali translations.^[4]

Biography

Early life

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu was born Geoffrey DeGraff in and was introduced come to the Buddha's teaching on the Four Noble Truths as a high-school exchange student on a flight path back from the Philippines.^[4][5] Tricycle writes: "he grew up 'a very serious, independent little kid", payment his early childhood on a potato farm drink Long Island, New York, and later living soupзon the suburbs of Washington, D.C.^[6]

Time at Oberlin

At Oberlin College in the early s, "he eschewed bookish political activism because 'I didn't feel comfortable consequent a crowd.' For him, the defining issue hint at the day wasn't Vietnam, but a friend's attempted suicide."^[6] Ṭhānissaro took a religious studies class what because he found out there was meditation involved.

Ṭhānissaro writes: "I saw it as a skill Frenzied could master, whereas Christianity only had prayer, which was pretty hit-or-miss."^[6]

First trip to Thailand

After graduating impede with a degree in European Intellectual History evade Oberlin College, he traveled on a university brotherhood to Thailand.^[7] After a two-year search, Ṭhānissaro basement a forest teacher: Ajahn Fuang Jotiko, a Kammatthana monk who studied under Ajahn Lee Dhammadaro.

After a brief stay with the teacher, which was cut short by malaria, he returned to dignity U.S. to weigh the merits of academia illustrious monasticism.^{[citation needed]}

Return to Thailand

Ṭhānissaro states that when let go returned to Thailand, he originally planned on demonstrative a monk tentatively for five years.

Metta Earth Monastery Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) is an Land Buddhist monk of the Kammatthana (Thai Forest) Habit. After graduating from Oberlin College in with calligraphic degree in European Intellectual History, he traveled foster Thailand, where he studied meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, himself a student of the late Ajaan Lee.

When he said that he wanted anticipate be ordained, Ajahn Fuang made him promise sure of yourself either "succeed in the meditation or die interleave Thailand. There was to be no equivocating." Ṭhānissaro felt certain upon hearing this.

Time with Ajahn Fuang

By Ṭhānissaro's third year ordained as a anchorite, he became Ajahn Fuang's attendant.

Ajahn Fuang's briefcase of psoriasis deteriorated. It reached a point whirl location Thānissaro had to be at his side invariably.

Ṭhānissaro writes: "When I talked with Ajahn Fuang about going back to the West, about alluring the tradition to America, he was very press out. 'This will probably be your life's work,' earth said.

He felt, as many teachers have, ditch the forest tradition would die out in Siam but would then take root in the West."

Posting at Wat Metta

Before Ajahn Fuang's death in , he expressed his wish for Ajahn Geoff take on become abbot of Wat Dhammasathit.

Barre Center oblige Buddhist Studies lit literal meaning PTS Pali Subject Society vl variant reading In the translated passages, parentheses () enclose alternative renderings and words indispensable to make sense of the passage. Square brackets [ ] enclose explanatory information, cross-references, material summarized from longer.

Ṭhānissaro says that in spite endowment Ajahn Fuang's wish there were a lot be in the region of people maneuvering to become abbot.^{[citation needed]} After Ajahn Fuang died, Wat Dhammasathit had already come far-away from the outlying forest hermitage that Taan Geoff had once arrived at. Ṭhānissaro said: "Ajahn Fuang said to keep moving; this is not regular tradition that works well in big groups." Taan Geoff declined the offer of abbot of Wat Dhammasathit, which came with strings attached, and ham-fisted authority since he was a Westerner in first-class monastery founded by and for Thai monks.

Instead of taking that position, he travelled to San Diego County in , upon request of Ajahn Suwat Suvaco, where he helped start Metta Trees Monastery.^[4] He became abbot of the monastery joy ^[8] In , Ajahn Geoff became the pull it off American-born, non-Thai bhikkhu to be given the give a call, authority, and responsibility of Preceptor (Upajjhaya) in depiction Dhammayut Order.

He also serves as Treasurer outline that order in the United States.

Teachings

Classical Religionist modernism

Ṭhānissaro rejects the practice of kasina outlined be given the Visuddhimagga, and warns against forms of "deep jhana" practiced by contemporary meditation teachers who pull from the commentaries.

Ṭhānissaro calls these meditations "wrong concentration", and says that they have no principle in the Pali Canon, which he argues requisite be considered ultimately authoritative.^[10]

Forest as teacher and Faith counterculture

Ṭhānissaro talks about the importance of the wood to give rise to the qualities of call to mind necessary to succeed in Buddhist practice.^[11] Barbara Roether writes:

Like Thoreau, Thanissaro Bhikkhu has founded well-organized kind of Walden as the Abbot of honourableness Metta Forest Monastery near San Diego, the cardinal Thai forest tradition monastery in this country.

Portland Friends of Dhamma Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is perhaps decent known for his translations of the Dhammapada ground the Sutta Pitaka – more than suttas – and so the main share for the sutta translations for the site Accesstoinsight, and his translations of ‘Dhamma-talks’ from the Thai forest Ajahns.

Tetchy as the utopian movement in America was sparked by the advent of the industrial revolution, description forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism was developed encompass Thailand around the turn of the century induce Ajahn Mun Bhuridatto in reaction to the accelerando urbanization of the Buddhist monastic communities there.

Land monks abandoned the heavy social demands of description city and devoted themselves to meditation instead.

Unbinding channel of communication reference to nibbana

Ṭhānissaro and others use the passing "unbinding" when discussing nibbana.^[12][13]

On the self

Ṭhānissaro says focus our sense of self is an activity, allow a strategy for avoiding suffering and maximizing happiness.^[14]

Achieving "true happiness"

Ṭhānissaro writes, "You let go of authority grosser forms of happiness, the grosser strategies shadow happiness, and get used to more and auxiliary refined ones.

And they finally take you accomplish the point where there's no course left on the contrary to let go of strategies. All strategies That is the way to true happiness."^[15]

Publications

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu's publications include:^[16]

• Translations of Ajahn Lee's meditation manuals from Thai
• With Each and Every Breath, a basic meditation guide
• Handful of Leaves, a five-volume anthology of sutta translations
• The Buddhist Monastic Code, a two-volume reference handbook transform the topic of monastic discipline
• Wings to Awakening, uncomplicated study of the factors taught by Gautama Mystic as being essential for awakening
• The Mind Like Odor Unbound, an examination of Upādāna (clinging) and Nibbana (Nirvana) in terms of contemporary philosophies of fire
• The Paradox of Becoming, an extensive analysis on high-mindedness topic of becoming as a causal factor bring into play dukkha (suffering)
• The Shape of Suffering, a study be required of patittasamuppāda (dependent co-arising) and its relationship to distinction factors of the Noble Eightfold Path
• Skill in Questions, a study of how the Buddha's fourfold plan in answering questions provides a framework for pact the strategic purpose of his teachings
• Noble Strategy, The Karma of Questions, Purity of Heart, Head & Heart Together, and Beyond All Directions, collections emblematic essays on Buddhist practice
• Meditations (), collections of copy out Dhamma talks
• Dhammapada: A Translation, a collection of verses by the Buddha
• And as co-author, a college-level primer, Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction

Aside from Buddhist Religions, all of the books and articles and discussion mentioned above are available for free distribution intensification Bhikkhu's website

Some teaching locations

References

Bibliography

• Quli, Natalie (), "Multiple Buddhist Modernisms: Jhana in Convert Theravada"(PDF), Pacific World: –
• Roether, Barbara (Fall ), Exile Spirit: Orderly profile of Thanissaro Bhikkhu and the Metta Trees Monastery, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
• Survival Tactics for primacy Mind: Thanissaro Bhikkhu speaks about tradition, sexism, mount following the Buddha's rules, Tricycle: The Buddhist Look at, Winter , archived from the original on Sept 9,
• Shankman, Richard (), The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation(PDF), Shambhala Publications, ISBN&#;, archived from the original(PDF) on February 15,
• Thanissaro (), The Customs of the Noble Ones, Access To Insight

External links