Robert Thurman: podcast appearances and interviews

Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman (August 3, 1941 – June 16, 2026) was an American Buddhist author and academic known for his work on Tibetan Buddhism. He served as the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, a position he held until his retirement in 2019. Thurman was instrumental in establishing the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West. He authored, edited, and translated numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism, including a translation of the Vimalakirti Sutra from Tibetan into English. In addition to his academic pursuits, Thurman was a co-founder and president of Tibet House US in New York and was involved with the Menla Retreat & Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. As a Buddhist monk and scholar, his contributions significantly advanced the understanding of Tibetan Buddhism in the Western world.