When author, translator, and scholar Robert Thurman was first introduced to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1964, he was described as "a crazy American boy, very intelligent and with a good heart (though a little proud), who spoke Tibetan well and had learned something about Buddhism [and] wanted to become a monk."
Thurman became the first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, though he gave up his robes after several years for an American academic career.
His many books, including Essential Tibetan Buddhism, Inner Revolution, The Jewel Tree of Tibet, and Why the Dalai Lama Matters, reflect a deep reverence for Tibet combined with a flair for making Buddhism accessible to the West.
A champion of the preservation of Tibet's culture, Thurman co-founded New York City's Tibet House with actor Richard Gere and works closely with the Dalai Lama to educate the world about Tibet's political struggles against China.
Well-known for his enthusiasm and depth on the page and in person, Thurman is currently Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in the field in the United States.
Bio
Jon Carroll
Jon Carroll was born in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, the same hospital where Bobby Kennedy died. He had a prep school education at the Webb School of California in Claremont.
Carroll attended the University of California for 1.6 years, where he majored in experimental chemistry and biology in a non-classroom setting. Carroll then got a job on the Chronicle editing the crossword puzzle, writing the capsule summaries of TV movies ("Still his best work" -- Greil Marcus in a conversation with the author) and interviewing third rate entertainment celebrities.
Carroll then moved to Rolling Stone in 1970 as an assistant editor. His first Chronicle column was published in October of 1982. He has been an Oakland resident since 1982.
Brian Gruber
Brian Gruber is Founder and Executive Chairman of FORA.tv.
Gruber has twenty years experience successfully building and marketing media enterprises. As the senior marketing officer for a range of respected media institutions, he has managed billion dollar revenue budgets and large and small marketing teams.
As the first marketing director for C-SPAN, he built its affiliate sales and marketing organization, launching C-SPAN II with the largest subscriber base ever for a cable network at launch. As director of marketing for News Corp's FOXTEL, he helped build the cable television brand in Australia, going from number three to number one in cable subscriptions, brand equity and consumer awareness.
As the head of marketing of the largest urban divisions of 3 top ten cable companies (MSO's), he turned flat or negative subscriber growth into substantial gains. And as president of g/media and Principals.com, he has helped more than twenty new media companies develop brands, marketing strategies, and consumer products.
He also acted as the media adviser and new media producer for the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the nation's most prolific presenter of quality world affairs events.
Robert Thurman
Robert Thurman became the first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, though he gave up his robes after several years for an American academic career. His many books, including Essential Tibetan Buddhism, Inner Revolution, The Jewel Tree of Tibet, and Why the Dalai Lama Matters, reflect a deep reverence for Tibet combined with a flair for making Buddhism accessible to the West.
Thurman co-founded New York City's Tibet House with actor Richard Gere and works closely with the Dalai Lama to educate the world about Tibet's political struggles against China. Well-known for his enthusiasm and depth on the page and in person, Thurman is currently Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in the field in the United States.
Robert Thurman uses the atom to explain the Buddhist belief that nothing in the universe is indivisible. He says while scientists strive to "bump up against something hard," their quest is futile because all matter is "infinitely divisible."
Form of MahayanaBuddhism that evolved from the 7th century in Tibet. Based on Madhyamika and Yogacara philosophies, it incorporates the rituals of Vajrayana, the monastic disciplines of early Theravada, and the shamanistic features of Bon. The predominant Tibetan sect for the past three centuries has been Dge-lugs-pa. Its spiritual head is the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan canon is divided into the Bka'-'gyur (“Translation of the Word”), consisting of canonical texts translated mostly from Sanskrit, and Bstan-'gyur (“Transmitted Word”), consisting of commentaries by Indian masters. Tibetan Buddhism has become better known worldwide since 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile in India.
