Biography
 
Robert A. M. Thurman, Ph.D.
Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies




Department Chair, Department of Religion, Columbia University




 

Robert Thurman, Chair of the Dept. of Religion at Columbia University, holds the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West, the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies. After education at Philips Exeter and Harvard, he studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost thirty years as a personal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His special interest is the exploration of the Indo-Tibetan philosophical and psychological traditions, with a view to their relevance to parallel currents of contemporary thought and science.

A recognized worldwide authority on religion and spirituality, Asian history, philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Professor Thurman has written both scholarly and popular books, and has lectured widely all over the world. He was named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans and has been profiled by The New York Times and People Magazine.
 

His book, Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Real Happiness, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of 1998. Thurman is the translator of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, renowned for centuries as a classic of Buddhist wisdom and religious thought. His other books include The Central Philosophy of Tibet, a book on Buddhist science; Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, which illustrates and celebrates 241 of the finest examples of 9th-19th century Tibetan art; Essential Tibetan Buddhism, a prize-winning anthology and introduction to Tibet; and Circling the Sacred Mountain, teachings on mind-transformation given while exploring the high Himalayas. His next book, Infinite Life, will be released in spring, 2004.

As part of his long-term commitment to the Tibetan cause, at the request of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thurman co-founded Tibet House US in 1987 with Richard Gere, and Philip Glass. Tibet House U.S. is a non profit organization in New York City dedicated to the preservation and renaissance of Tibetan civilization.