Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman YouTube Interview & Discussion

Robert Thurman Audio Interview & Discussion

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. The New York Times called him the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and Time magazine 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. In 1962, he met the Dalai Lama in India, learned Tibetan, studied Buddhism, and became the first Westerner ordained as a monk in the Dalai Lama’s tradition. He has remained close to him ever since, having returned long ago to academia and the householder life. In this, our second interview, we spoke about his new book, a user-friendly interpretation of key Buddhist precepts, Wisdom is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life. Learn more about Robert Thurman here.