The American Buddhist scholar and activist Robert Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University, and co-founder and president of Tibet House US in New York City, died peacefully at his home in Woodstock, New York, on Tuesday. He was 84 years old. Prof. Thurman earned renowned for his translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts and for his passion for making the teachings of Buddhism accessible without diluting their essence.
Prof. Thurman’s passing was formally announced on social media by Tibet House US:
We are deeply saddened to announce that Robert A. F. Thurman, prominent American Buddhist scholar, co-founder of Tibet House US, author and translator whose teachings shaped countless lives, died Tuesday morning, June 16, in Woodstock, New York. Om Mani Padme Hum.
The notice added that the Thurman family was requesting privacy at this time.
There has been an outpouring of condolence and memorial messages across social media from colleagues and contemporaries,
In a public statement, the esteemed Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Dzogchen adept Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche shared: “On learning the very sad news that Prof. Robert Thurman has passed, I present my condolences to his family, friends, and students.
“Bob Thurman was a true scholar practitioner who worked tirelessly and selflessly for the Dharma and sentient beings. His passing is a great loss, and our community will remember him in our services with gratitude and respect. I offer my heartfelt prayers for his continued journey of awakening.”
Lotswa House, which works to sustain an online library of translations of Tibetan Buddhist texts, offered the following tribute:
“Our former sister-site Lotsawa School, a hub for Tibetan-translation-related news and resources, included a page showcasing Prof. Thurman’s unique contributions to terminology. One Tibetan word that appeared in that glossary was ཤིང་རྟ་ཆེན་པོ་ (𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰), which Thurman translated (in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘵) as ‘champion’ and others have rendered as ‘trailblazer,’ ‘pioneer,’ or, more literally, ‘great charioteer.’
“Prof. Thurman was himself just such a figure, a pioneering 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴𝘢𝘸𝘢, a genuine trailblazer for the Tibetan Buddhist teachings in the West and a true 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯—of Tibetan translation, of the Tibetan cause, and of the crucial relevance of the Buddha’s message to the modern world.”
Prof. Thurman uploaded his most recent online sharing on 12 June:
Born in New York City in 1941, Prof. Thurman was educated at Philips Exeter and Harvard, and studied Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism for almost 30 years as a personal student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He subsequently earned renown for his translations and explications of Tibetan Buddhist religious and philosophical literature. He wrote, edited, and translated several books on Tibetan Buddhism, and notably translated the Vimalakirti Sutra from the Tibetan Kangyur into English.
At the behest the Dalai Lama, Thurman cofounded the non-profit organization Tibet House US in New York City in 1987, with actor Richard Gere and composer Philip Glass.
Tibet House US (THUS) was created as a nonprofit institution dedicated to preserving the wisdom and beauty of Tibet’s unique cultural, philosophical, and spiritual heritage. Located in Manhattan, and now part of a worldwide network of Tibetan institutions, Tibet House US maintains an extensive library, a diverse art gallery, Traditional shrine room, and lecture spaces.
In 1997, Prof. Thurman was named one of the 25 most influential Americans by Time magazine. He received the Light of Truth human rights award from the International Campaign for Tibet in 2003, and in 2006, New York magazine named him one of the “Influentials” in field of religion.
He also held the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the West as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies in the Department of Religion at New York’s Columbia University until his retirement in 2019. As president of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, he convened the First Inner Science Conference with the Dalai Lama at Amherst College in 1984.
In a 2001 interview with the Association for Asian Studies, Prof. Thurman observed:
Especially in this time of intensified soul-searching . . . the Buddhist view of reality can provide a helpful perspective from which to try to make sense of the deepening crisis of industrial modernity, essentially arising from excessive technological power in the hands of people with very little control over themselves and their ideologies and emotions. Buddhism can reinforce our vague sense that violence is not the answer; while there should be short-term law enforcement measures to restrain criminal destructiveness, large-scale retributive violence will only increase future terrorist activity. It can encourage us to root out the causes of despair and hatred, in poverty, ideological confusion, and prejudice.
Prof. Thurman is survived by his wife Birgitte Caroline “Nena” von Schlebrügge, 85, and five children, Dechen, Ganden, Mipam, Taya, and Uma.
See more
Bob Thurman
Robert Thurman (YouTube)
Tibet House US
The American Institute of Buddhist Studies
Robert Thurman: An EAA Interview (Association for Asian Studies)
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