Tibetan Buddhism Scholar Robert Thurman Dies at 84

Robert A.F. Thurman, a pioneering American scholar of Tibetan Buddhism and the father of actress Uma Thurman, died on Tuesday, June 16, at the age of 84. His death was confirmed by Tibet House US, the nonprofit organization he co-founded, which stated he passed away in Woodstock, New York. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Thurman was a seminal figure in bringing Tibetan Buddhist teachings to the West. According to his official biography, his journey began as a Harvard student. After a life-altering accident at age 20 left him with a glass eye, he traveled to India, where he met the Dalai Lama, converted to Buddhism, and in 1965 became the first Westerner ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by the spiritual leader. He renounced his monastic vows five years later, returning to Harvard to complete a PhD in Sanskrit and Indian Studies before embarking on a decades-long academic career.

For thirty years, until his retirement in 2019, Thurman held the Je Tsongkhapa professorship of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. He was also a prolific author and translator, known for his English version of the classic Vimalakirti Sutra. In 1987, he co-founded Tibet House US...