Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. A talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings, he is a popular speaker and the author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture. In 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. The New York Times called Bob the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and Time named him one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a “larger than life scholar-activist destined to convey the Dharma, the precious teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, from Asia to America.” He is also the founder and president of two non-profit organizations: Tibet House, which is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture; and the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, at Columbia U., dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific Tibetan treatises. His own spiritual quest began in his student years when, after an accident in which he lost the use of an eye, he left Harvard and found his way to India, where he first saw the Dalai Lama in 1962. He learned Tibetan, studied Buddhism, and became the first Westerner the Dalai Lama ordained as a monk in his tradition. He eventually offered up his robes and returned to academia and the householder life. We spoke about Buddhism, his remarkable spiritual path, and his good friend the Dalai Lama. Learn more about Robert Thurman here.