Reconciliation & Liberation: Theravāda & Mahāyāna; Gradual & Sudden; EBT & Later | Bhikkhu Bodhi Q&A
Channel: Clear Mountain Monastery
Date: 2023-08-13

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. Topics touched upon include Theravāda Buddhism and Early Buddhist Texts; the drawbacks of attaching to either; reconciling Theravāda and Mahāyāna; practicing with Noble Beings; and more.

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
0:22 - Bio of Bhikkhu Bodhi 
1:20  - Learnings and insights from the Commentaries
8:25 - The Early Buddhist Text movement, and what it might lose in the absence of the Commentaries
11:42 - Bhikkhu Sujato’s checklist of differences between the EBT and Theravada, specifically the spirit of enquiry in EBT
15:27 - Bhikkhu Bodhi’s definition of the EBT
19:00 - Benefits and risks of EBT labeling, and risks of EBT “conceit”
20:38 - The “layering” of Mahayana, and Bhikkhu Bodhi’s view of these two schools of thought
26:00 - The two models of the Bodhisattva path - deferring enlightenment, vs achieving a state that transcends samsara
33:19 - How to reconcile the seeming differences between orthodox Theravada and orthodox Mahayana
40:54 - Translating the “Don’t Know” mind into Pāḷi 
41:30 - Living and teaching in a Mahayana monastery
43:16 - Interactions with beings that have influenced Bhikku Bodhi the most, and the one quality that keeps monastics in robes
52:43 - An anecdote about Nyanaponika Thera
53:00 - Advice to young monastics
56:21 - The Gradual Path, vs Instantaneous Awakening, and does Theravada support not just the first?
1:01:11 - The importance of meeting and studying with an Ariya-puggala
1:03:45 - Gratitude and Thanks
1:04:20 - Outro
 
To join via Zoom on Saturdays, visit Clear Mountain Monastery's website and click on the link for the Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/events/saturday/ )

To participate in the Saturday chanting, use the pdf found here: 
https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/30/Chanting-Book-Vol-1-Web.pdf

Tune in with fellow practitioners every Wednesday evening from 6 - 6:45 pm or Saturday morning from 9:30 am - 11 am for a Dhamma Talk and Q&A with Ajahn Kovilo or Ajahn Nisabho. Saturday mornings begin with a thirty-minute meditation. Wednesday evening Q&A's are followed by a discussion on Zoom from 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm. See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!