Dalai Lama, Buddhist teachers and leaders share tributes to Robert A.F. Thurman

Robert A.F. Thurman, renowned Buddhist scholar, activist, teacher, author, and co-founder of Tibet House US, died on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Woodstock, New York. He was 84.

A lifelong friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the first Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk by His Holiness, Thurman dedicated his life to preserving Tibetan culture and furthering Buddhism in America. Throughout his life, he wrote a substantial number of scholarly works and books including Why the Dalai Lama Matters, Wisdom Is Bliss, and a translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

In 2020, he retired from his thirty-year career as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. He remained active in his work for Tibet House and Menla, his retreat center in the Catskills, up until his death.

All of us at Lion’s Roar saddened to hear of Bob’s passing; he was such a powerful and encouraging presence in the Buddhist world for so many decades. His loss is a loss for all practitioners, whether or not they knew or even met him. We were honored and delighted to have had the opportunity to work with him a number of times over the years, including most recently through our partnership with Tibet House which produced a series of Dalai Lama Global Vision Summits, which Bob helped shape, and to which he contributed his inimitable voice. Our hearts go out to Bob’s family, friends, students, colleagues — and all those whose lives were touched by his teachings and tireless efforts.

In a letter addressed to Thurman’s wife, Nena, and his family, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote of their friendship:

I learned with deep sadness of the passing of your husband and my dear friend, Prof. Robert Thurman. Please accept my heartfelt condolences. My prayers are with you and all members of your family.

As you know, Bob and I shared many years of warm friendship since we first met in India in the late 1960s. As a Buddhist scholar, his knowledge was truly remarkable, including his command of the Tibetan language. He devoted his entire professional life to sharing that knowledge, not only with his students, but with the wider world through his writings and teachings.

He understood profoundly that the survival of Tibetan Buddhist culture is inseparably linked to the future of Tibet itself. I greatly valued his efforts on behalf of the Tibetan people and their culture, expressed so visibly through institutions such as Tibet House.

Bob lived a meaningful life and has left behind a legacy that will continue to inspire future students of Tibetan Buddhism and culture for generations to come. I am sure that the merit he accumulated through a lifetime of service to humanity will bear fruit in lives to come.

A number of Buddhist teachers and leaders have shared their own tributes to Thurman, offering their appreciation as a teacher, friend, and spiritual guide. We’ve collected a selection of those tributes below.

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