Robert Thurman: Why the Dalai Lama Matters

Renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert A.F. Thurman speaks on his book.

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In the few decades since the illegal Chinese invasion of Tibet, Tibetans have seen their ecosystem destroyed, their religion, language, and culture repressed, and systematic oppression and violence against anyone who dares acknowledge Tibetan sovereignty. Yet despite those challenges, his Holiness the Dalai Lama has been a consistent voice for peace, sharing a "Middle-Way" approach that has won accolades from the Nobel Peace Prize to the Congressional Gold Medal.

Renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman offers in Why the Dalai Lama Matters a bold plan for establishing Tibet's genuine autonomy within China. But Thurman's book is not merely about Tibet or the Dalai Lama. It offers a revealing, provocative solution for a world in conflict, addressing the very fundamentals of human rights and freedoms. The book is a worldwide call-to-action, showing that power gained by might means nothing in the face of a determined act of truth.

Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and co-founder. The author of many books on Tibet and Buddhism, he is also President of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture.

A friend of the Dalai Lama for 40 years and the first American to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Professor Thurman, earned his B.A., A.M., and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard. He writes and lectures frequently on Buddhism, Asian history, and critical philosophy, with a focus on the dialogue between the material and inner sciences of the world's religious traditions.

Co-sponsored by KQED, Shambhala Sun Foundation, Stacey's Books, and the USF Center for the Pacific Rim.