Transcendent Nation Foundation

Robert Thurman

Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and co-founder and President of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture.

The author of many books on Tibet and Buddhism, his most recent is Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World (June 2008). A personal friend of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years and the first American to have been ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Professor Thurman earned B.A., A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard and writes and lectures frequently on Buddhism, Asian history, and critical philosophy, with a focus on the dialog between the material and inner sciences of the world's religious traditions.

Noted in a NY Times Magazine profile as “the Dalai Lama’s man in America,” Robert Thurman has cultivated a worldwide awareness of Tibet through his writing, translation of important Buddhist texts, and commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the China-Tibet conflict.

Professor Thurman's scholarly and popular writings focus on the "inner revolution" that individuals and societies successfully negotiate when they achieve enlightenment. He defines this inner revolution as accurate insight into the true nature of reality and determined compassion for the suffering beings. He also works toward what he terms a "Second Renaissance," which he sees currently taking place as Western culture goes beyond the 14th century European discovery of the natural sciences of the ancient Greeks that catalyzed the "first renaissance" to discover and apply in practice the advanced "inner science" of ancient Indian culture.

Popularizing the Buddha's teachings is just one of Thurman's creative talents. He is a riveting speaker and an author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture. He is credited with being at the forefront of making Tibetan art accessible and understandable in the West and, with distinguished art historians, he collaborated in curating several important traveling exhibitions, including "Wisdom and Compassion," "Mandala," and "Worlds of Transformation," which set a standard in the art world.

Thurman's work and insights are grounded in more than 35 years of serious academic scholarship. Thurman’s knowledge of Tibetan history and culture is often sought by policy makers. He has testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Additionally, a plan he authored, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal in 1998 as an op-ed piece entitled "Freeing Tibet Is in China’s Interest" is regarded by many as a practical plausible blueprint for peacefully ending the human rights violations and cultural destruction in Tibet and was the foundation for Why the Dalai Lama Matters.

To access his podcast, click here.