Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman Illustrates Life of Dalai Lama in 'Man of Peace'

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Mina Kim

Sep 11, 2017 at

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Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama speaks during a inter faith religious conclave ahead of India's 70th anniversary of Independence in Mumbai on August 13, 2017. (Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images)

Celebrated Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman was 23 when he first met the Dalai Lama, after having dropped out of Harvard to explore the mysteries and complexities of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama made Thurman a monk, a vocation Thurman calls a “life-long MacArthur fellowship.” Heeding his impulse to help others develop spiritually, Thurman left the monastery to become a scholar-activist. Now a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia, he joins us to talk about his latest book, ‘Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.’

Mentioned on Air:

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” Dalia Lama Segment

Guests:

Robert Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies, Columbia University; author of 'Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet'

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