June 16, 2026
Robert (Bob) Thurman passed away in Woodstock, New York, on June 16, 2026. A noted
scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, he was one of the most prominent and outspoken voices of
Buddhism in America.
Born in New York City, Bob was an undergraduate at Harvard when, in 1961, he decided to
drop out and take a pilgrimage to India. In 1964, he met Geshe Wangyal, a Buddhist monk
from Mongolia, who became his first Buddhist teacher. In 1965, Geshe Wangyal introduced
Bob to the Dalai Lama, who soon after ordained Bob as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, the first
American to become one. On his return in 1967, Thurman found it too difficult to remain a
monk and disrobed, and he resumed his education at Harvard. Though he renounced his
role as a monk and returned to civilian life in America, Bob and the Dalai Lama, only six
years apart in age, remained lifelong friends. Bob earned an MA in 1969 and a PhD in 1972,
then went on to Amherst College, where he was professor of religion from 1973 to 1988.
Then he assumed his post at Columbia, where he stayed for the rest of his career. Highly
regarded as the Je Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University
until he retired in 2019, Thurman held the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the
West.
Thurman was the author of some twenty-three books. He earned praise from colleagues
for his translations and scholarly works like The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti: A Mahayana
Scripture and The Central Philosophy of Tibet: A Study and Translation of Jey Tsong Khapa’s
Essence of True Eloquence (2003). He was also well known as well for books on the
Tibetan people and Tibetan art and culture. His books for a more general audience
included The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1993) and inspiration for Buddhism in daily life,
such as Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well and Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of Real Happiness (2004). Works like Why the Dalai Lama Matters (2008) and
even a graphic-style biography, Man of Peace (2016) reflect his longtime connection to the
Dalai Lama.
Thurman was deeply committed to the Tibetan people and their cause. At the Dalai Lama’s
request, in 1987, Thurman, along with his wife Nena, actor Richard Gere, and composer
Philip Glass, founded the nonprofit Tibet House US to support the preservation of Tibetan
culture. He served as president of the board. Respected by students and scholars, as
Thurman became a public figure, teaching to a wider audience, his popularity grew
exponentially. By the time of his death, he had become the most influential American-born
Tibetan Buddhist.