Dr Robert Thurman To Lead Buddhist Retreat In Phuket This Weekend

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Dr Robert Thurman to lead Buddhist retreat in Phuket this weekend

Dr Thurman is also the father of famous Hollywood actress Uma Thurman.

PHUKET: -- World-renowned Buddhist scholar Dr Robert Thurman is in Phuket to give a talk and lead a meditation retreat at the Thanyapura Mind Center at Phuket International Academy this weekend.

Dr Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University in New York City, is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost scholars of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies.

A leading advocate for the Tibetan community in exile, Dr Thurman is a long time friend and direct disciple of His Holiness the14th Dalai Lama.

The first American to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk, Dr Thurman was ordained by the Dalai Lama in 1962. This began a long friendship that has lasted nearly 50 years. After several years as a practicing monk, Dr Thurman decided to give back his robes and went on to complete a PhD at Harvard University.

Upon graduation from Harvard, Dr. Thurman became a highly respected academic, teaching Buddhist Studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts for fifteen years.

He has published widely, both as an insightful translator of Buddhist texts including a highly regarded translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a popular text on Tibetan Buddhism and as a writer of numerous scholarly and popular books including Circling the Sacred Mountain, Essential Tibetan Buddhism and Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Real Happiness that became a best seller in the US

On Saturday Dr Thurman will discuss how Buddhism can be understood as a ‘science of the mind,’ addressing how meditation creates space for internal exploration and human development. His Saturday evening talk (5pm to 7pm), entitled Mind Science: The Heart of Buddhism will be open to the public as will his Sunday retreat session (10am to 3pm), both rare opportunities to learn from this recognized authority and highly engaging speaker.

Fees for the Saturday session are 300 baht per person.

Fees for the Sunday retreat are 600 baht per person.

Rooms are also available from 1,665 baht (per person, double occupancy) for those wishing to stay at the center overnight.

For more information call the center at 076-336 000 or click here.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-03-25