Robert Thurman ( eng. Robert Thurman , often Bob Thurman , full name Eng. Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman ) (b. August 4, 1941 , New York ) - American writer, public figure and scholar. A close friend of the Dalai Lama and head of the Tibet House, an organization representing the Tibetan heritage in the United States. Among his children is actress Uma Thurman . Thurman traveled all over the world with his lectures. He also spoke to the US Senate on the issue of Tibet.
| Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman | |
|---|---|
| Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman | |
 | |
| Date of Birth | August 4, 1941 (78 years old) |
| Place of Birth | New York |
| A country | |
| Occupation | , , , , |
| Father | Beverly Reid Thurman the Younger |
| Mother | Elizabeth Dean Farrar |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Thaya, Uma Karuna , Ganden, Dechen, Mipam |
| Awards and prizes | [d] ( 2003 ) |
| Site | |
Content
Biography
Early years
Young Thurman was deeply dissatisfied with the American way of life. In his search for an alternative in 1958, he almost joined the forces of young Fidel Castro . In these turbulent years ( 1961 ), he lost his eye, and perhaps this is what finds more and more new portrayals in Tarantino's films. This hobby cost him a place at Exeter Academy (1954-1958). Then he entered Harvard (1961-1962), but dropped out of college and went to India. A country with ancient history and traditions was seen by him as full of treasures, hidden meanings, lost by materialistic civilization.
What I experienced gave me a good shake. In fact, I was on the verge of death. And then I decided that I could no longer lead a double life: I could not remain an ordinary American, be successful in my studies, career, while knowing from childhood that the world was completely different and that was all wrong. I dropped everything again and went to India. [one]
Introducing Tibetan Buddhism in India and the US
Using the hospitality and hospitality of the local population, young Thurman sought the truth by meeting with Hindu swamis, Sufi teachers and Buddhist monks. This was before the era of flower children, carefree hippies , and Thurman caused the invariable delight of the masters and their lively response to his spiritual requests.
Among this richest treasury of the spirituality of mankind, he also encountered Tibetan culture:
I met Tibetans and suddenly felt that I was at home.
Returning from India to the United States at the funeral of his father, Thurman met Geshe Wangyal . An ethnic Kalmyk , Geshe Wangyal was born in the Volga steppes in 1902, studied in Tibet in Drepung Goman. Geshe Wangyal revered as his teacher Aghvan Dorzhiev , a partner of the Dalai Lama XIII in philosophical debate and in the future the most prominent politician of the region. In 1955, Geshe Wangyal was the first monk of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, who settled in the United States and created the first Tibetan monastery here. Thus, Robert Thurman is, according to his own statement, the “spiritual grandson” of Aghvan Dorzhiev.
Introducing the Dalai Lama
In 1964, Geshe Wangyal introduced Thurman to the Dalai Lama as an American boy "with a good heart, although a little proud, who speaks good Tibetan, knows something about Buddhism and wants to become a monk." Geshe Wangyal left the decision whether to be a monk to Thurman or not, for the Dalai Lama. And Thurman became the first American monk of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to take vows from the Dalai Lama himself.
He was 24 years old, and the Dalai Lama was 29. While the young American monk lived in India, they met almost every week, moreover, the Dalai Lama did not so much answer Thurman's questions about Buddhism as he tried to ask him more about Western topics: Freudianism, physics, etc. Thurman, however, was completely immersed in the understanding of Buddhist philosophy. As Thurman himself talks about it,
I wanted only one thing - to stay in the 2500-year-old Buddhist society of enlightenment seekers, to immerse in it as a monk. My inner world has become rich, full of insights and good visions, with a sense of happiness and chosenness, because I gained access to such great teachers and teachings and had the time to study and implement them.
Becoming a public figure
Thurman then returned to the United States and, on the advice of Geshe Wangyal, resigned from his monastic vows, which he followed for five years. However, he did not abandon his practice and study of Buddhism. He decided to further study the languages of the Buddhist canon, to work with Buddhist texts.
The only secular institution in America comparable to monasticism is a university, so I returned to scientific work.
Thurman resumed his education at Harvard. A number of subjects that he had now chosen constantly pushed him against another student, passionate about Buddhism, named Alexander Berzin . Thurman’s stories about the living tradition of Tibetan Buddhism influenced Berzin so much that he took up Tibetology, and later became one of the most prominent “Western” authors and mentors of the Tibetan tradition.
At Harvard, Thurman received his master's degree in 1969 and his doctorate in Sanskrit Indology in 1972. From 1973 to 1988, he taught religious studies at Amherst College, after which he transferred to Columbia University.
Now Robert Thurman heads the first and only place in his field as a professor-head of the Department for the Study of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism named after Jae Tsongkhapa at Columbia University.
In 1997, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential Americans.
An excellent translator, author of both scientific and journalistic works, Thurman is known both as a scientist and as a fighter for the preservation of Tibetan culture. In 1987, he and Richard Gere and Philip Glass created the Tibet House in New York, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving a vibrant Tibetan tradition. In his own words:
What I learned from the Tibetans has changed my life forever, and I feel that in their culture there is a kind of internal science that is directly related to the difficult time in which we live. My intention is to share a particle of that deep hope for the future that they shared with me.
Russia
Robert Thurman visited Russia several times. The first public speech was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Aghvan Dorzhiev and the opening of his memorial plaque in the St. Petersburg Buddhist temple. Then at the Eastern Faculty of St. Petersburg State University held his first lecture. Further visits included primarily lectures in Moscow. Open World Publishing House has published 2 books by Thurman (as of January 2008). In 2004, Robert Thurman was one of the initiators and took an active part in the festival “Tibet: Traditions. Art. Philosophy ”, held in Moscow. In 2005, at the invitation of the Tibet House in Moscow, Robert Thurman visited Moscow with a series of lectures.
Family
Married first (1959-1961) to Christophe de Menil, from a noble American family. Divorced during a personal crisis, shortly after losing his eye. One daughter, Thaya, grandson of Dash Snow, was a New York-based artist.
The second marriage (since 1967, after the return of monastic vows), married to Nene Thurman , nee von Schlebrugg, hereditary model, Timothy Leary's former wife. They have four children, the first child is a film actress Uma Thurman . Currently, Nena is a practicing psychological consultant.
Notes
Literature
- In Russian
- Robert Thurman - Endless Life. Seven virtues of a good life (inaccessible link) / Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well / Series: Samadhi / Publisher: Open World, 2005 / Hardcover, 384 pp. / ISBN 5-9743-0001-7 / Circulation: 3000 ind.
- Robert Thurman - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (inaccessible link) / The Tibetan Book of the Dead / Series: Samadhi / Publisher: Open World, 2007 / Hardcover, 352 pp. / ISBN 5-9743-0002-5 / Circulation: 3000 ind.
- In English
- Robert AF Thurman, Tad Wise - Circling the sacred mountain: a spiritual adventure through the Himalayas / Publisher: New York: Bantam Books, © 1999. Editions: 3 Editions / ISBN 0553103466 , ISBN 9780553103465 / OCLC: 39897319
- Robert AF Thurman, Sheldon Rochlin - Robert AF Thurman on Tibet / Tibet House (Organization: New York, NY); Mystic Fire Video, Inc .; WinStar TV and Video (Firm) Type: VHS tape Publisher: New York: Mystic Fire Video: Distributed by WinStar TV & Video, © 1999. ISBN 1561764450 , ISBN 9781561764457 OCLC: 43376047
- Robert AF Thurman - Tsong Khapa's Speech of Gold: Reason and Enlightenment in the Central Philosophy of Tibet (Tsongkhapa's Golden Speech: Meaning and Enlightenment in Tibet's Basic Philosophy)
- Robert AF Thurman - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Tibetan Book of the Dead)
- Robert AF Thurman - Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Basics of Tibetan Buddhism)
- Robert AF Thurman - Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness (Inner Revolution: Life, Freedom, and the Search for Inner Happiness) (best seller)
- In German
- Marylin M. Rhie, Robert AF Thurman - Weisheit und Liebe. 1000 jahre kunst des tibetischen buddhismus / Publisher: DuMont Buchverlag, 1996 / Dust jacket, 488 pages / ISBN 3-7701-3788-4