Scholar tells of life as monk

Although he may be better known as the father of actress Uma Thurman, Robert Thurman holds an equally rare distinction -- the Columbia University professor is the first American to be ordained a Buddhist monk. Thurman, a noted scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies who teaches at Columbia University, spoke to a crowd of more than 40 Monday in College Hall on "Beyond Occidentalism, Tibetan Studies and the Academy in the 21st Century." Thurman gave up the strict monastic life because of the difficulties of being the lone American Buddhist monk. But he speaks fluent Tibetan and studies Buddhist thought and culture with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, three times a year. Although Uma Thurman did not follow in her father's footsteps, Thurman said in a separate interview that he is proud of and surprised by the success of his 27-year-old daughter, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1994 hit Pulp Fiction. "She always knew what she wanted to do," he said. "She had a special karma." He added that "we didn't bring Uma up with very much Buddhism. The children are very free-thinking types." During his speech, Thurman explained that Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes the "master-disciple" relationship, such as the one he enjoys with the Dalai Lama. "It is a pleasure for [the Dalai Lama] to discuss Western issues with someone who speaks Tibetan," he said. Thurman has been working with various activist groups around the world to "free" Tibet, which was invaded by China in 1950. After an uprising in 1959, China clamped down on the nation, suppressing the practice of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama and 100,000 Tibetans fled to India, where they have lived in exile ever since. Thurman's speech emphasized the need for Western academics to recognize the unique relevance of Asian -- specifically Tibetan -- culture. "Tibetan studies is a crucial subset of Asian studies linked through India," He noted. Thurman explained that Western universities place too much emphasis on the Western cultural past. Thurman said he believes that Western universities such as Columbia have an "occidental" curriculum that approach cultures from the wrong angle. He defined occidentalism as "a mode of looking at history and civilization, thinking that Anglo, Euro, white is the superior civilization on the globe." "Other cultures are studied as a religious phenomena," he explained. "We do it as a curiosity." Thurman spoke on how Buddhism forces a person to "analyze your present state and try methods to improve it." He added that Buddhism is "not like a religion, but an educational foundation." The event was sponsored by the East Asian Language and Civilizations Department and the Religious Studies Department. This educational monastic life promotes the science of the mind which studies the workings of the human mind and is "geared toward developing a higher level of enlightenment," Thurman said.

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