Ven. Bodhi: Enlightenment for Laypeople

ONLINE: four days, from Friday evening, Aug. 30, through Monday, aftertoon, Sept. 2, 2024

American Theravada scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi from New York is holding a retreat.

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What did the Buddha teach laypeople?

During the Buddha’s time, tens of thousands of people left the household life to take up the monastic life of wandering ascetics.

The Buddha also had hundreds of thousands of lay disciples who continued to live at home.

To guide these lay disciples, the Buddha offered a rich body of teachings to enable them to live the best life — a truly noble life — while fulfilling their household duties.

Venerable Bodhi, scholar-monk

Over four days, from Friday evening, Aug. 30, through Monday mid-afternoon, Sept. 2, Bhante (Bhikkhu Bodhi, the most prolific English translator of early Buddhist texts in the world) will lead a retreat focused on the Buddha’s teachings for laypeople.

The retreat will be based primarily on the Maha Mangala Sutta ("Great Blessings Discourse"), but Bhante will gather a vast number of [Pali canon] sutras and other texts that show how a lay disciple can walk the path to liberation while dwelling amid “the dust of the world.”

The sprawling grounds of BAUS, New York

The retreat will include:

• Dhamma talks,
• discussion periods, and
• five sessions of meditation each day.

It will also provide the opportunity for those who haven’t yet “gone for guidance” (sarana) to go for guidance to the Three Jewels, the first decisive step to formally becoming a follower of the Buddha-Dharma, the Path taught by the Buddha.

This retreat will be in hybrid mode, onsite and online. The teachings will be in English only. Those who wish to join in person can come to BAUS.org (Chuang Yen Monastery, Carmel, NY) and stay from Friday until Monday afternoon.

Attend live, over Zoom, or on YouTube

Those who cannot attend in person can practice at home, participating online over Zoom or YouTube.

The monastery can accept only 50 onsite practitioners. If one applies after the 50 spaces have been filled, one will be put on a waiting list and accepted if prior applicants drop out.

If not joining in person, please join from home via Zoom or YouTube. Register to participate onsite only if making a commitment to stay for all of it until Monday afternoon. If participating only part time, please join through the online channels.

• The Buddhist Association of the U.S. (BAUS)
• 美國佛教會
• 2020 Route 301
• Carmel, New York 10512
• contact@baus.org