Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi presents the keynote speech at the Interfaith Baccalaureate for the Claremont colleges, on May 12, 2023.
By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
In February 1972 I obtained a PhD degree in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California. In August that same year I left the U.S. for Sri Lanka, where I received ordination as a Theravada Buddhist monk. I was ordained as a novice in November 1972, and then six months later, in May 1973, as a bhikkhu (a fully ordained monk). From the time I received my degree until the present, I did not maintain communications with the Claremont Graduate University and assumed that I had fallen off the university’s radar.
This assumption, however, turned out to be wrong. This past winter, to my utter surprise, I received an email from the chaplain of the Claremont colleges, Rev. Joel Daniels, inviting me to speak at this year’s Interfaith Baccalaureate for the Claremont colleges, to be held on May 12. I was both honored and delighted by this invitation.
The Claremont University system is a consortium consisting of five undergraduate colleges (Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, and Harvey Mudd), the graduate university, and a newer graduate school that focuses on science and technology. Though the schools have separate campuses, they are adjacent to one another and sometimes share courses and professors. All the schools participate in the same Baccalaureate.
I flew out to Los Angeles with my long-time student, Pohui Chang. We were met at the airport by several friends, who drove us out to Joshua Tree for a couple of days in the California desert. After a hike through the Joshua Tree National Park and a visit to the Maha Pajapati Bhikkhuni Monastery in Yucca Valley, we came to Claremont on the day of the Baccalaureate. I was warmly greeted by Rev. Daniels and the president of Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Lin Jessup. To my astonishment, when I was handed a copy of the program, I saw that the cover page billed me as the “Keynote Speaker.” The original email I received about the event simply invited me to speak, without mentioning that I was to be the keynote speaker. On seeing this designation, I felt a tremor of anxiety, but fortunately I had prepared notes to guide me through an extemporaneous speech.
After some reminiscences about my days as a grad student at Claremont, I launched into the substance of my talk. Since the Baccalaureate brings together people of different faith traditions, I did not think it suitable to focus narrowly on Buddhist teachings. Rather, I wanted to provide some words of guidance for those adhering to any faith and for those who consider themselves non-religious. The theme I chose was the foundation of the ethical consciousness. I put forth my view that the basis of the ethical consciousness is the recognition of other people—and indeed of other sentient beings—as subjects of experience. To be a subject of experience, I said, is to be the center of the universe; for each person, each subject, reflects the entire universe in their consciousness and projects their own consciousness out into the world.
At the core of each person, I said, is the desire to avoid harm and achieve optimal well-being: to be well, happy, and safe from suffering and affliction. When we recognize this desire as the fundamental drive at the bottom of our own being, I explained, we can understand intuitively that each person is also motivated by the wish to achieve optimal well-being. This entails that we have an obligation to remove the suffering of others and help them lead a fulfilling life. Even if we can contribute just a little to the good of others, I said, that will add meaning to our own lives.
I concluded by proposing a simple exercise for each person in the audience. I suggested they begin each day by sitting quietly for a few minutes in an area of their living quarters that they mark off as “a sacred space.” Settling into that space for just three minutes, they should foster in their hearts the thought: “May all people in this world be well, happy, and safe from harm.” Then they should give rise to the wish: “May I do something to promote the well-being and happiness of others.” Thereafter, I suggested, they should ponder the question: “What can I do to promote the well-being and happiness of others?” I told them that they need not answer the question at once but simply sit with it—for weeks, months, or even years if necessary—until an answer arises and beckons them to a field of service that matches their deep inner aspiration.
You can watch the video of the full Baccalaureate here. President Lin Jessup introduces Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi at the 43:20 mark, and the talk of about 20 minutes begins shortly after the introduction.
From Los Angeles, we traveled to northern California, where I conducted a four-day “full immersion” program at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) for students at the Dharma Realm Buddhist University. The program, on the four protective meditations, took place from May 16–19. On May 20, we paid a visit to Abhayagiri Monastery, a short ride north of CTTB. There we met Ajahn Pasanno, the “guiding elder” of Abhayagiri, along with the resident monks. On returning to CTTB, we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of my full ordination, which took place on May 20, 1973, in Balangoda, Sri Lanka.
That same afternoon I joined the graduation ceremony at the Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Though I did not speak at this event, at the very end, to my surprise again, I was called up to receive a special honor—the Hsuan Hua Distinguished Humanitarian Award— named after the great Chinese master, Venerable Hsuan Hua, founder of CTTB and Dharma Realm Buddhist University. The plaque representing the award states that it was being presented “to Bhikkhu Bodhi in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the global Buddhist community” and especially mentions “his visionary work in founding and leading Buddhist Global Relief.” In this respect, I would have to share the award with the entire team responsible for BGR’s success.
From northern California we again flew back to Los Angeles. At the Mindfulness Meditation Center in Covina, I gave a Dharma talk on a Friday night and an all-day program the following Saturday on “Right View, Right Practice, and Right Liberation.” I concluded this program by introducing the participants—about 70 people—to Buddhist Global Relief, and many of the attendees made donations to support our work.
Special thanks are due to Terrence Yu and Yvonne Tseng for coordinating the activities in the greater Los Angeles area, to Ajahn Kovilo for serving as my attendant during my stay at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and to Florence Lee for making her vacant home available for my second visit to the LA area.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is the founder and chair of Buddhist Global Relief.
