From Ancient Texts to Living Practice - A Conversation with Bhante Sujato
A conversation with Bhante Sujato on the Pāli Nikāyas, the Chinese Āgamas, and the path of practice
Agama Meditation Centre is delighted to welcome Bhante Sujato for a special free hybrid event.
Bhante Sujato will join us live from Sydney for a conversation on the early Buddhist texts: the teachings preserved in the Pāli Nikāyas and the Chinese Āgamas. For many Chinese Buddhists, the Āgamas may feel familiar in name but distant in practice. This event is an opportunity to approach them anew—not only as ancient scriptures, but as living guidance for the mind and heart.
Bhante Sujato is a Buddhist monk, early Buddhist researcher, and translator. Ordained in the Thai forest tradition in 1994, he has spent many years training in forest monasteries and places of solitude. He is also a co-founder and key contributor to SuttaCentral, the open-access project that has made early Buddhist texts and modern translations available to readers around the world.
In this conversation, we will explore questions such as:
What can we learn when we read the Pāli Nikāyas alongside the Chinese Āgamas?
How do these parallel collections help us come closer to the earliest layers of the Buddha’s teaching?
What do the early texts have to say about meeting restlessness, suffering, craving, and confusion in daily life?
How can the teachings become something we personally investigate and practise—not simply something we read about?
This will not be a discussion of texts for specialists alone. It is an invitation to see how early Buddhist teachings speak directly to the challenges of being human: how we relate to the body, feeling, thought, suffering, kindness, and freedom.
Whether you come from a Chinese Buddhist background, are curious about the Āgamas, or are beginning to explore early Buddhist practice, you are warmly welcome to join us.
Event details
Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
Time: 8:00 p.m. Toronto time
Format: Free online Event
Speaker: Bhante Sujato, joining live from Sydney
Registration: See below
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