• Biography

Early Life

Robert Thurman is an American Buddhist scholar, author, and professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. He was born in New York City on December 5, 1941, to Elizabeth and Charles Thurman, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University. His father was a Christian and his mother was a Jewish convert to Christianity. He was raised in a secular household and was exposed to both Eastern and Western philosophies from an early age.

Education

Thurman attended Harvard University, where he studied Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhism. He graduated in 1963 with a degree in Sanskrit and Indian Studies. He then went on to study at the University of Calcutta, where he received a master's degree in Buddhist Studies in 1965. He then returned to Harvard to pursue a doctorate in Buddhist Studies, which he completed in 1979.

Career

Thurman began his career as a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University in 1979. He has since become one of the most influential and respected scholars of Buddhism in the world. He has written numerous books on Buddhism, including Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness, The Jewel Tree of Tibet, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead. He has also been a vocal advocate for Tibetan independence and has been a close friend and advisor to the Dalai Lama for over 40 years.

Thurman has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts, including the establishment of the Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Tibetan culture. He is also the founder of Menla Retreat Center, a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center in upstate New York.

Legacy

Robert Thurman is widely regarded as one of the most influential and respected scholars of Buddhism in the world. He has written numerous books on Buddhism and has been a close friend and advisor to the Dalai Lama for over 40 years. He has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts, including the establishment of the Tibet House US and the Menla Retreat Center. His work has helped to spread the teachings of Buddhism to a wider audience and has helped to preserve and promote Tibetan culture.

Date modified: Apr 8, 2023
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