Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Encyclopedia
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, also known as Ajaan Geoff, (born 1949) is an American
Buddhist monk of the Dhammayut Order (Dhammayutika Nikaya), Thai forest kammatthana
tradition. He is currently the abbot of Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County. Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is a notably skilled and prolific translator
of the Pāli Canon
. He is also the author of many free Dhamma books.
's teaching on the Four Noble Truths
as a high schooler, during a plane ride from the Philippines. After graduating in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History from Oberlin College
, he travelled to Thailand
, where he practiced meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, who'd studied under Ajaan Lee. He was ordained in 1976 at Ajaan Lee's Wat Asokaram, where Ajaan Lee's nephew, Phra Rajvarakhun (Samrong Gunavuddho), served as Preceptor for his ordination. Later, he took residence at Wat Dhammasathit in Thailand, where he continued studying under Ajaan Fuang.
Before Ajaan Fuang's death in 1986, he expressed his wish for Ajaan Geoff to become abbot of Wat Dhammasathit. Some time after his teacher's death, Ajaan Geoff was offered the position of abbot, but with "strings... attached" and no authority since he was a Westerner in a monastery founded by and for Thai
monks. Instead of taking that position, he travelled to San Diego County in 1991, upon request of Ajaan Suwat Suvaco
, where he helped him start Metta Forest Monastery. He became abbot of the monastery in 1993. In 1995, Ajaan Geoff became the first American born, non-Thai bhikkhu
to be given the title, authority, and responsibility of Preceptor (Upajjhaya) in the Dhammayut Order. He also serves as Treasurer of that order in the United States.
Aside from Buddhist Religions, all of the books mentioned above have been made available for free distribution, and many of these can be read and downloaded in digital format online. Also available for free are the audio recordings of many of his Dhamma Talks.
Portland Friends of Dhamma,
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies,
The Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Buddhist monk of the Dhammayut Order (Dhammayutika Nikaya), Thai forest kammatthana
Kammatthana
In Buddhism, is a Pali word which literally means the place of work. Figuratively it means the place within the mind where one goes in order to work on spiritual development...
tradition. He is currently the abbot of Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County. Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is a notably skilled and prolific translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Pāli Canon
Pāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the only completely surviving early Buddhist canon, and one of the first to be written down...
. He is also the author of many free Dhamma books.
Biography
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu was born Geoffrey DeGraff in 1949 and was introduced to the BuddhaBuddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
's teaching on the Four Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
as a high schooler, during a plane ride from the Philippines. After graduating in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, he travelled to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where he practiced meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, who'd studied under Ajaan Lee. He was ordained in 1976 at Ajaan Lee's Wat Asokaram, where Ajaan Lee's nephew, Phra Rajvarakhun (Samrong Gunavuddho), served as Preceptor for his ordination. Later, he took residence at Wat Dhammasathit in Thailand, where he continued studying under Ajaan Fuang.
Before Ajaan Fuang's death in 1986, he expressed his wish for Ajaan Geoff to become abbot of Wat Dhammasathit. Some time after his teacher's death, Ajaan Geoff was offered the position of abbot, but with "strings... attached" and no authority since he was a Westerner in a monastery founded by and for Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
monks. Instead of taking that position, he travelled to San Diego County in 1991, upon request of Ajaan Suwat Suvaco
Ajaan Suwat Suvaco
Ajaan Suwat Suvaco was a Buddhist monk who founded four monasteries in the western United States. He was ordained at the age of 20 and became a student of Ajaan Funn Acaro two or three years later...
, where he helped him start Metta Forest Monastery. He became abbot of the monastery in 1993. In 1995, Ajaan Geoff became the first American born, non-Thai bhikkhu
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
to be given the title, authority, and responsibility of Preceptor (Upajjhaya) in the Dhammayut Order. He also serves as Treasurer of that order in the United States.
Publications
His extensive list of publications includes:- Translations of Ajaan Lee's meditation manuals from the Thai
- Handful of Leaves, a five-volume anthology of suttaSutta PitakaThe Sutta Pitaka is the second of the three divisions of the Tipitaka or Pali Canon, the Pali collection of Buddhist writings, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism...
translations - The Buddhist Monastic Code, a two-volume reference handbook on the topic of monastic discipline
- Wings to Awakening, a study of the factors taught by BuddhaBuddhaIn Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
as being essential for awakeningBodhiBodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things... - The Mind Like Fire Unbound, an examination of UpadanaUpadanaUpādāna is a word used in both Buddhism and Hinduism.*In Buddhism, upādāna is a critical link in the arising of suffering.*In Hinduism, upādāna is the material manifestation of Brahman.-Buddhism:...
(clinging) and Nibbana (Nirvana) in terms of contemporary philosophies of fire - The Paradox of Becoming, an extensive analysis on the topic of becoming as a causal factor of stress and sufferingDukkhaDukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
- The Shape of Suffering, a study of dependent co-arising and its relationship to the factors of the noble eightfold path
- Skill in Questions, a study of how the Buddha's fourfold strategy in answering questions provides a framework for understanding the strategic purpose of his teachings
- Noble Strategy, The Karma of Questions, Purity of Heart, and Head & Heart Together, collections of essays on Buddhist practice
- Meditations (1-5), collections of transcribed Dhamma talks
- Dhammapada: A Translation, a collection of verses by the Buddha
- And as co-author, a college-level textbook, Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction
Aside from Buddhist Religions, all of the books mentioned above have been made available for free distribution, and many of these can be read and downloaded in digital format online. Also available for free are the audio recordings of many of his Dhamma Talks.
Some Teaching Locations
Metta Forest Monastery,Portland Friends of Dhamma,
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies,
The Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
External links
- Wat Mettavanaram Forest Monastery
- Being a Monk - Interview with Oberlin Alumni Magazine
- Hundreds of Audio Dhamma Talks, Some Books and Essays by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
- Online Books and Articles at Access to Insight
- Suttas read aloud
- Audio archive from the Do It Yourself Dharma website
- Talks at AudioDharma