Bhikkhu Anālayo is a
bhikkhu
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
(Buddhist monk), scholar, and meditation teacher. He was born in Germany in 1962, and
went forth in 1995 in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. He is best known for his comparative studies of
Early Buddhist Texts
Early Buddhist texts (EBTs), early Buddhist literature or early Buddhist discourses are parallel texts shared by the early Buddhist schools. The most widely studied EBT material are the first four Pali Nikayas, as well as the corresponding Chines ...
as preserved by the various early Buddhist traditions.
Monastic life
Bhikkhu Anālayo temporarily ordained in 1990 in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, after a meditation retreat at Wat Suan Mokkh, the monastery established by the influential 20th-century Thai monk Ajahn
Buddhadasa.
In 1994 he went to Sri Lanka, looking to meet
Nyanaponika Thera after having read his book ''The Heart of Buddhist Meditation''.
Nyanaponika Thera died just days before Analayo's arrival but he stayed on and studied with
Bhikkhu Bodhi.
In 1995 he took
pabbajja again under
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero. He received his
upasampada in 2007 in the Sri Lankan
Shwegyin Nikaya (belonging to the main
Amarapura Nikaya), with Pemasiri Thera of Sumathipala Aranya as his ordination
acariya.
Bhikkhu Bodhi has been Bhikkhu Anālayo's main teacher.
The late Bhikkhu Kaṭukurunde Ñāṇananda has also been an important influence in his understanding of the Dhamma.
Scholarly career and activity
Bhikkhu Anālayo completed a PhD thesis on the ''
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta ( Majjhima Nikaya 10: ''The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), and the subsequently created Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta ( Dīgha Nikāya 22: ''The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), ar ...
'' at the
University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ta, பேராதனைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University ...
in 2000, which was later published as ''Satipaṭṭhāna, the Direct Path to Realization''.
During the course of that study, he had come to notice the interesting differences between the
Pāli
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...
and
Chinese Buddhist canon versions of this early Buddhist discourse. This led to his undertaking a
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...
research at the
University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...
, completed in 2007, in which he compared the ''
Majjhima Nikāya
The Majjhima Nikāya (-nikāya; "Collection of Middle-length Discourses") is a Buddhist scripture, the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka (lit ...
'' discourses with their Chinese,
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit and
Tibetan Buddhist canon
The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to sutrayana texts from Early Buddhist schools (mostly Sarvastivada) and Mahayana sources, the Tibetan canon incl ...
counterparts.
[Published a]
A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikāya
(Dharma Drum Buddhist College Special Series), Taiwan: Dharma Drum Academic Publisher, 2011. In 2013 Anālayo then published ''Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna'',
[Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna, Birmingham: Windhorse Publications, 2014.] where he builds on his earlier work by comparing the parallel versions of the Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta and exploring the meditative perspective that emerges when emphasis is given to those instructions that are common ground among the extant canonical versions and thus can reasonably well be expected to be early.
Bhikkhu Anālayo has published extensively on early Buddhism. The textual study of early Buddhist discourses in comparative perspective is the basis of his ongoing interests and academic research. At present he is the chief editor and one of the translators of the first English translation of the Chinese ''
Madhyama-āgama'' (Taishō 26), and has undertaken an integral English translation of the Chinese ''
Saṃyukta-āgama'' (Taishō 99), parallel to the Pali ''
Saṃyutta Nikāya'' collection.
Central to Anālayo's academic activity remain theoretical and practical aspects of meditation. He has published several articles on insight and absorption meditation and related contemporary meditation traditions to their textual sources.
His comparative studies of early Buddhist texts have also led Anālayo to focus on historical developments of Buddhist thought, and to research the early roots and genesis of the
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
ideal and the beginning of
Abhidharma
The Abhidharma are ancient (third century BCE and later) Buddhist texts which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the Buddhist ''sutras''. It also refers to the scholastic method itself as well as the f ...
thought.
Bhikkhu Anālayo was a presenter at the
International Congress on Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha The International Congress on Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha: Bhikshuni Vinaya and Ordination Lineages was an historic event that took place July 18–20, 2007. It was a meeting of internationally recognized Buddhist scholars specializing in ...
. Exploring attitudes towards
bhikkhunis (female monastics) in early Buddhist texts and the story of the foundation of the bhikkhuni order has allowed him to be a supporter of bhikkhuni ordination, which is a matter of controversy in the Theravada and Tibetan traditions.
[Bhikkhu Anālayo's research on women, nuns and bhikkhunīs: http://agamaresearch.dila.edu.tw/?page_id=138 bhikkhunīs and women in Early Buddhism]
Bhikkhu Anālayo has retired from being a professor of the Numata Centre for Buddhist Studies at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vo ...
. He is the co-founder of th
Āgama Research Group a resident scholar and core faculty member at th
Barre Center for Buddhist Studiesand a member of the Numata Centre for Buddhist Studies at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vo ...
.
Selected published work
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* (reprinted as a booklet together with translations into Sinhala, Thai and Burmese: West Malaysia: Selangor Buddhist Vipassanā Meditation Society, 2013; and New York: Buddhist Association of the United States, 2014)
PDF
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References
External links
Bhikkhu Anālayo's profile at the Āgama Research GroupBhikkhu Analayo's on-line lecturesBhikkhu Anālayo's research projects with the Āgama Research GroupBhikkhu Anālayo’s teaching scheduleVideo interview with Bhikkhu Anālayo on respecting the different Buddhist traditions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Analayo, Bhikkhu
1962 births
Theravada Buddhism writers
Living people
Sri Lankan Buddhist monks
Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhists
German Buddhist monks
Sri Lankan scholars of Buddhism
German scholars of Buddhism
German Buddhists
University of Hamburg faculty