On the Passing of Robert Thurman, Gift-Giver of Buddhism to the West

I learned this morning (Saturday) of the death of the great Buddhist scholar and teacher, Robert Thurman (who is also the father of actress Uma Thurman). The Dalai Lama ordained him over 65 years ago in India and was his mentor, and they maintained their strong friendship all those years.*

He taught at Harvard and at Columbia University and on retiring a few years ago was active at Tibet House Menla in upstate New York which he founded with actor and Buddhist Richard Gere.

It was my privilege to participate in 2022 in a dialogue with Robert at Sacred Stream, a Buddhist Center (once a Presbyterian church) in Berkeley, California. It was most enjoyable, and was recorded I am happy to say. Robert was a great soul, a great man, a great student and teacher of Buddhism and gifter of the same to the West.

We very much enjoyed one another’s company and shared some correspondence over the years. He asked me, for example, for my review of Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology, Laudato Si, which I forwarded to him. He was very taken with my book on the Cosmic Christ and how that mirrored the tradition of the Buddha Nature. At his urging I wrote a modest-sized article in the Buddhist magazine, Lion’s Roar.

On reading through my correspondence with him over the years, I came across the following letter and comments on the book published in the Orbis series of “Modern Spiritual Masters,” Matthew Fox: Essential Writings in Creation Spirituality, put together masterfully by Jewish philosopher Charles Burack.

Hi dear Matt, 

I’m thrilled to get back in contact with you, now I realize the magnificence of your field of accomplishment. I sort of knew before but  now really am moved and deepest deep bows to you! I had the pleasure of meeting Hans Kung in Egypt years ago, and heard of the tribulations he suffered at the hand of C. Ratzinger’s inquisitorial behavior, I only now got a whiff of I believe the much worse ordeal you went through.

It is therefore now that I can better appreciate the accomplishment you manifest by remaining such a cheery guy! You are a real Arhat and a Bodhisattva mahāsattva! Thanks, and again a serious bow!

To the publicist who asked for a blurb, he apologized for being late, saying I got caught up in reading it. I once did a gig with Matthew in Berkeley, a dialogue at Sacred Stream, and I loved him but did not go ahead with doing a book together as suggested at the time. Now I regret that, as until reading through this little curated collection of gems from many of his books, I realize that he is not only a great guy, but also what an extraordinary guy he really is. Like a Ram Dass of the Christians, a Thomas Merton who was badly persecuted by Cardinal Ratzinger/aka Pope Benedict, but he survived and thrived. Wow! I am blown away….

His blurb follows: Matthew Fox! Wow! What a brilliant, realistic, creative and heartful living Saint is he! And what a great service to us all is this beautiful book, curated by Charles Burack, a loving quintessence of Matthew’s lifetime of revolutionary blessings and transformative teachings!

I am overwhelmed by its power, liberating and glorious—breathtaking in its radical critique of the institutional misuse of any religion as accessory to mental and social imperialism, and breathgiving in its joyous revelation of what he calls the “creation spirituality” that, I fully agree, animates all the saving teachers of our world.

I truly feel that all the Buddhas are overjoyed, smiling at its wisdom and its hymn that sings the primal goodness of reality—blissful freedom the womb of compassion! I feel so grateful for Matthew’s quest for the Cosmic Christ, who leads Christians into true friendship with all loving spiritualities, and for Charles Burack’s wise curation of Matthew’s transformative insights that shine forth from every page of this precious little book!

Lucky all of you—read it joyfully, and it will change your life!—Robert “Tenzin” Thurman, Jey Tsongkhapa Professor Emeritus; President, Tibet House US; Author, Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

* Steve Stein, “Remembering Robert Thurman,” Try This At Home! on Substack, June 25, 2026.

“Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman was and American Buddhist author and academic,” OfficialObituary.com, June 17, 2026.

Clay Risen, “Robert Thurman, Leading Interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism, Dies at 84,” The New York Times, June 17, 2026.

To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video meditation, click HERE.

Banner Image: Robert Thurman in 2014. Photo by Christopher Michel. Wikimedia Commons. 

Queries for Contemplation

Did you know Robert Thurman’s writings or interact with him in other ways? How does Buddhism affect your life and your spirituality?

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings in Creation Spirituality. 

The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance. 

Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. 

Matthew Fox, “Ultimately The Same,”Lion’s War, November 2022, 12-14. 

Rev. Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo, The Lotus & The Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity. 

One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faith Traditions. 

Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.