Players: Bhante Sujato & Ajahn Brahmali

Cost: By Donation

Metta Convention week opens with the “Buddhist Bowl Trivia” event! The Buddhist Bowl Trivia is a unique and engaging event aimed at fostering learning, bonding, and joy amongst the participants. With a wide range of beginner, moderate, and advanced questions, we aspire to create an engaging and friendly atmosphere that encourages the exchange of knowledge and wisdom among attendees.

Two renowned Buddhist monks, Bhante Sujato and Ajahn Brahmali, go head-to-head in the Buddhist Bowl challenge. Bhante Sujato, known for his anarcho-pacifist approach, compatible with Buddhist lay and renunciate life, will be competing against Ajahn Brahmali, who completed the only full English translation of the Vinaya Piṭaka (Monastic Law). The questions for this Buddha Bowl challenge will be contributed by monastics and lay practitioners joining the Metta Convention in person and from around the world.

Attendees will also have a chance to join the fun, with Bhante Sujato and Ajahn Brahmali giving commentary on answers. This event is not just a competition; it is an opportunity to learn about Buddhism and gain a deeper understanding of its principles. So come and join us for a fun-filled and enlightening evening with Bhante Sujato and Ajahn Brahmali, as they showcase their wisdom and knowledge and share their insights with us.

Buddhist Bowl Trivia is part of Metta Convention Week, a week-long program aimed at fostering metta, mindfulness, compassion and inner peace. Metta Convention week offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from renowned Buddhist teachers from around the world! Register here.

About the players: Bhante Sujato is a former musician who became a monk in the ascetic Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah in 1994. After years of living in Thailand he returned to Australia and stayed at Bodhinyana Monastery in Western Australia before going on to found Santi Forest Monastery in 2003. Following Bhante Sujato’s wishes, Santi became a Bhikkhunī (Buddhist nuns’) monastery Vihara in 2012, and he returned to live in Bodhinyana.

Bhante Sujato co-founded the Buddhist website SuttaCentral in 2005 to provide access to early Buddhist texts in their original languages and make translations available in modern languages. From 2015-2018, he lived on the island of Chime, off the coast of Taiwan, undertaking the task of creating English translations of the four Nikāyas. These translations have since been published on SuttaCentral, and as free edition books. In 2019, he established Lokanta Vihara in Sydney to explore what it means to follow the Buddha’s teachings in an era of climate change, globalised consumerism, and political turmoil.

Bhante Sujato along with his teacher Ajahn Brahm were involved with Re-establishing Bhikkhuni Ordination in the Forest sangha of Ajahn Chah. More info can be found here and on Wikipedia.

Ajahn Brahmali was born in Norway in 1964. His interest in Buddhism and meditation started after a visit to Japan. Having completed degrees in engineering and finance, he began his monastic training as an Anagarika in England at Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteries. Listening to the teachings of Ajahn Brahm, he decided to travel to Bodhinyana Monastery, located near Perth, and has been there since 1994. He later received higher ordination under Ajahn Brahm.

Ajahn Brahmali’s knowledge of the Pali language and the Suttas is excellent. He completed the only full English translation of the Vinaya Piṭaka (Monastic Law). It is available on the SuttaCentral website and will be published as a book in the next few years. Bhikkhu Bodhi, who translated most of the Pali Canon into English, called Ajahn Brahmali one of his major helpers for the recent translation of the “Numerical Discourses of the Buddha”. Ajahn Brahmali has also published a number of essays, including the book “The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts” in collaboration with Bhante Sujato. Most of his publications are available online at bswa.org.

Ajahn Brahmali’s clear and thoughtful talks make the teachings of the Buddha easily accessible to all. He travels extensively in Australia, Asia and Europe to share his knowledge and experience through teachings and retreats.