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Robert Thurman Biography

Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman (born August 3, 1941) is an American Buddhist author and academic who has written, edited, and translated several books on Tibetan Buddhism. He is the father of actor Uma Thurman. He is the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in this field of study in the United States. He also is the co-founder and president of the Tibet House New York and is active against the People's Republic of China's control of Tibet. He is perhaps most well-known for his translation of the Vimalakirti Sutra from the Tibetan Kanjur into English.

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Robert Thurman Quotes

You could then use the dream to learn more about yourself, others, the world, and the nature of life. You can come awake in the matrix and realize you're the one in your own dream. People on the spiritual path can do that, thus they can avoid wasting the whole night, and use it in a developmental, nice way.

Dream, Life, Nice, Path, Spiritual, Wasting

This question, Is loving your enemy a life practice?, I like that question. It is a life practice, certainly, for everyone. It relates to the idea of, Is this a householder practice or is it a monk practice? I think it's both. Everyone has that practice.

Enemy, Ideas, Life, Practice, Relates, Thinking

Hate poisons your life.

Hate, Life, Poison, Poisons

The Chinese people absolutely need good spiritual examples. They also could use a citizen of their own, who is free and happy, and pleased with them, and represents them in a positive way to the world. Especially now that they're becoming this mega-power, and no longer known as a puppet in the game, or strictly business people.

Citizen, Games, Known, People, Puppet, Spiritual

Take the example of people who are being most unrealistic - people who are beating monks to death and torturing them. Why shouldn't you be angry or hate that person? Well, the person who is doing that is very unhappy. They are being ordered by a higher-up.

Beating, Example, Hate, People, Unhappy

I am daily making myself what I am.

Daily, Making, Self

You can't relate to an absolute or it wouldn't be absolute, it would be relative. On an intellectual level, that's easy. However, you hear theologians in the theistic traditions talk about absolute God, and I saw God, or God spoke; speaking, being seen, these are all relational things. So what is absolute about such a being, wouldn't actually be absolute.

Absolute, Actually, Intellectual, Levels, Theistic, Would Be

The better teachers recognize that by freeing yourself of the rigid ego identity habit, you actually strengthen the resilient, flexible, creative ego, and you then can be more effective in helping others, and creative in whatever work you do.

Actually, Creative, Ego, Freeing, Helping Others, Teacher

Commercial interests with their advertising industry do not want people to develop contentment and less greed. Military interests in economic, political, ethnic or nationalist guises, do not want people to develop more tolerance, nonviolence and compassion. And ruling groups in general, in whatever sort of hierarchy do not want the ruled to become too insightful, too independent, too creative on their own, as the danger is that they will become insubordinate, rebellious, and unproductive in their alloted tasks.

Advertising, Creative, Creativity, Independent, Interests, Military

You feel so happy about that, that you feel loving towards these poor being who are suffering in their separateness, and their alienation Then have the problem of how to help them get free, because just by your knowing that they're essentially free, that doesn't free them. Just by your being blissful, it doesn't release them from their knot of separation and false self absolutization.

Essentially, Free, Knowing, Self, Suffering, Towards

Human beings are such social animals. We're very connected with the feelings of those we're close to, so we can't really be happy when the ones we are close to are unhappy.

Animal, Beings, Feelings, Human, Unhappy

Everyone has the same life purpose, which is the quest of happiness for oneself and for others.

Happiness, Life, Purpose, Purpose Of Life, Quests

You should never be ashamed of the suffering you've been through.

Ashamed, Should, Suffering

You take up energy towards someone because you think loving your enemy doesn't just mean caving into your enemy. It means first of all liberating yourself.

Caving, Loving You, Mean, Think, Thinking, Towards

I think about the trends at the moment in the planet and how it looks for my grandchildren. I don't panic over it, even though rationally maybe I should. I have faith that these terrible trends will change, and they will not go to their logical conclusions of climate change, militarism, pollution, overpopulation.

Grandchildren, Panic, Planet, Terrible, Thinking

If you see really bright lights, or hear really loud noises, go towards them, don't run away from anything. It's like giving someone instructions on how to handle a bear, don't run away from it. Stand up and try to make yourself look as big as possible. Don't give it the signal that it should chase you. And that's the case with the after death visions. Don't go for dark seductive lights, go only for bright lights.

Chase, Dark, Handle, Light, Running, Visions

The person who is tormenting the Tibetans feels they have to get rid of the Tibetans in order to be happy.

Feels, Order, Rid, Tibetan, Tormenting

Wisdom is tolerance of cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance, Dissonance, Tolerance, Wisdom

That love, in the sense of wishing their happiness, will cause your actions to be effective in relation to that person.

Action, Actions, Causes, Happiness, Wish, Wishing

I'd like to say is that we shouldn't have an idea that the goal of spiritual practice is to annihilate ones ego, that would be a mistake. In the early years of enlightenment, psychologists were afraid of Hindus and Buddhists meditating because they thought they were going to shatter their egos and then they'd have to wear diapers or something, like they'd lose their toilet training or what have you. They were really afraid of it.

Buddhist, Early, Enlightenment, Mistake, Say, Spiritual

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