In 1944, Block was born in Brooklyn, NY. In 1966, he obtained a B.A. in philosophy from Brooklyn College. In 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School.

In 1967, while still a graduate student, Bodhi was ordained as a novice monk in the Vietnamese Mahayana order. In 1972, after graduation, Bodhi traveled to Sri Lanka where, under Ven. Ananda Maitreya, he received novice ordination and, in 1973, he received full ordination in a Theravada order.

In 1984, succeeding co-founder Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, Bodhi was appointed English-language editor of the Buddhist Publication Society (BPS, Sri Lanka) and, in 1988, became its president.According to the BPS "Newsletter" (1st Mailing 2008, No. 59), p. 7, right hand column, bottom: "Note: The author [Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, related to the article "The Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy: A Brief Account of Its Contributions to Buddhist Literature," pp. 4-7] served as the editor of the BPS from 1984 until 2002 and has remained its president since 1988." (Retrieved 2008-07-29 from "BPS" at http://www.bps.lk/newletter_pdf/nl_59.pdf.) In 2002, he retired from the society's editorship while still remaining its president.

In 2000, at the United Nations' first official Vesak celebration, Bodhi gave the keynote address.

In 2002, after retiring as editor of BPS, Bodhi returned to the United States. He currently teaches at Bodhi Monastery (Lafayette, New Jersey) and Chuang Yen Monastery (Carmel, New York) and is the chairman of the Yin Shun Foundation.

Bodhi's publications include:

• The Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering (1984, BPS; 2000, Pariyatti)
• The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (with Bhikkhu Nanamoli, 1995, Wisdom Publications)
• Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya (with Nyanaponika Thera, 2000, Altamira Press)
• The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya (2000, Wisdom Publications)
• A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha of ?cariya Anuruddha (2000, BPS Pariyatti)
• In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (2005, Wisdom Publications)

Bodhi's on-line courses include:

• "The Buddha’s Teaching As It Is" (1981)
• A course in Pali Language (2003)
• Majjhima Nikaya lectures (2003—2008)