Robert Thurman
Robert Thurman | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Thurman in 2014 | |
| Born | Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman August 3, 1941 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 2026 (aged 84) Woodstock, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Alecsander Thermen |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5, including Uma |
| Relatives | Dash Snow (grandson) Maya Hawke (grand-daughter) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies |
| Institutions | Columbia University |
| Doctoral advisor | Daniel H.H. Ingalls, Sr. |
| Doctoral students | Christian K. Wedemeyer |
Robert Alexander "Bob" Farrar Thurman (August 3, 1941 – June 16, 2026) was an American Buddhist writer and academic. He wrote, edited, and translated many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was a Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, before retiring in June 2019.[1] He also was the co-founder and president of the Tibet House US New York.
The New York Times called Thurman the "leading interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism" with a reputation of being the Dalai Lama’s "man in America".[2] Thurman was known for being the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by the Dalai Lama.[3] Rolling Stone said that Thurman helped save Tibetan culture through his Tibet House institution.[3]
Early life
Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman was born in Manhattan, New York City.[2][4]
Thurman studied at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1954 to 1958, then went to Harvard University, where he got his B.A. in 1962. He later returned to Harvard for graduate study in Sanskrit, receiving an M.A. in 1969 and a Ph.D. in 1972.[5] He was expelled from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1958, weeks from graduation, after leaving without permission to join Fidel Castro and his guerrilla army in Cuba.[2] He was stopped in Florida before he could join.[2]
Personal life and death
In 1961 Thurman lost his left eye in an accident and the eye was replaced with a glass eye.[6][7]
Thurman was the father of actress Uma Thurman and the grandfather of actress Maya Hawke.
Thurman died on June 16, 2026 at his home in Woodstock, New York at the age of 84.[8]
References
- ↑ "Robert A. F. Thurman | Department of Religion". Columbia University. 2019-12-21. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
Robert Thurman held the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West, the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies (...)
- 1 2 3 4 "Robert Thurman, Leading Interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism, Dies at 84". The New York Times. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Robert Thurman, Tibet House co-founder and Uma Thurman's father, dead". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Ancestry of Uma Thurman".
- ↑ Binelli, Mark (1 August 2013). "Robert Thurman, Buddha's Power Broker". Men's Journal.
- ↑ Jennifer Armstrong, "Robert Thurman, Buddha's Champion", lionsroar.com, 5 February 2019.
- ↑ Roberts, John B.; Roberts, Elizabeth A. (2009), "Freeing Tibet: 50 years of struggle, resilience, and hope", AMACOM Div American MGMT Assn: 160, ISBN 978-0-8144-0983-1, retrieved 2011-09-19
- ↑ "Padma Shri Awardee And Noted Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman Passes Away At 84". DDNews.gov. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
Other websites
- Official website
- Tibet House Thurman Biography Archived 2018-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Tibet House, New York City
- First 30 Years of Tibet House film
- Tibet House US Channel
- Menla Retreat, Resort and Spa in upstate New York, the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, Spiritual Directors Archived 2021-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Sharon Salzberg + Robert Thurman, Meeting Our Enemies and Our Suffering, On Being with Krista Tippett unedited interview