Remembering Robert Thurman
A friend, a mentor, a brilliant storyteller and a true ‘one of one’
From Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Substack:
So sorry to hear about Bob Thurman’s sudden passing . I loved him. As he said and wrote so passionately, “Wisdom is Bliss.” He wasn’t kidding. Bob embodied it in his inimitable wild and wonderful way, and I am sure that bliss is embracing him right now. Deep bow, old friend. And deepest of condolences to his family and friends.
So deeply honored to take this lovely picture of Jon and Bob at TibetHouse last Spring. We took this picture (below) a few minutes later
Between the two people on either side of me in this picture, I have more than eighty years of friendship and collaboration. What an honor to document, record, and help build the legacy of two men who spent their lives taking ancient wisdom down to street level. That has always been our mission at BetterListen! and WisdomFeed. These two men were the masters of it.
Actually, they were helping me build my legacy at the same time. Truly honored.
The Open Center Years
From 1985 through 2000, I did most of the audio recordings at the New York Open Center. That is where I really got to know Bob, not just as a client and author, but as the person wearing headphones trying to capture his wisdom, grace, and inspiration on audio.
Some of the people I was fortunate to record alongside Bob over those years: The Dalai Lama’s personal physician, Yeshe Donden. Gelek Rinpoche, with whom Bob had many deep and remarkable courses. Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead, when his book Drumming at the Edge of Magic came out. Bob hosted that session and introduced Mickey, calling him “Indiana Mickey” because Mickey had traveled the world collecting indigenous sounds and drumming from every corner of the planet. Part of the recordings Mickey previewed at that session was the recording of his child’s fetal heart monitor. His child had released a cd still in utero!
Bob was a challenge to record. He was so exuberant, so physically alive in his teaching, that he would wander away from the microphone mid-sentence, drop the mic, move across the room, and come back again. You never quite knew what to expect next. But that was part of the adventure. The content was always extraordinary.
His Holiness at MSG
In 1990, I recorded His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Madison Square Garden for ten days. First, the speakers were the elders from The Five Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Richard Gere was there. Bob was there throughout, introducing, translating, holding court with Richard, and together holding space for a remarkable event.
What I remember most was the Kalachakra Sand Mandala. The monks spent days building it in the middle of Manhattan, grain by grain. You would watch people come in from work in their suits and briefcases, and as they stood there watching in silence, you could see the NYC stress melt away. That was the point. Be in the moment. Live life to the fullest. And then at the end, the monks gathered it all up, carried it to the Hudson River, and let it go. As I have gotten older, I have come to understand that impermanence is the only sure thing. So best to appreciate each and every breath, each and every moment.
The Village Years
In the early 2000s, on my way to and from my day job in Greenwich Village, I used to run into Bob on the sidewalk every few weeks. Uma lived two doors down from my office. Periodically, I would run into Bob when he was visiting her.
He was always rushing somewhere. But when he saw me, he would say,
“Steve, so great to see you! I’d love to chat, but I’m running now. Walk with me.”
So I walked alongside him, happy to connect with his charm, wisdom, and warmth. He was often on his way to visit his daughter, Uma, and his granddaughter, Maya, who most of you now know from Stranger Things. It was always fun seeing Maya’s dad Ethan wheel her in the carriage when he went out for morning coffee.
For the last 12 years, I have had the honor of publishing Bob’s recordings on BetterListen! His voice, his wisdom, preserved.
My friend John Dwork, who recorded the Buddhist Theory of Relativity at the Open Center in the mid-80’s, recently reminded me how Bob wove together Einstein and the Buddha in a way that felt like enlightenment itself. That title is free right now as a tribute.
You can listen to the audio program here: Buddhist Theory of Relativity
It was truly an honor to work and spend time alongside Bob over the years.
Rest well, Bob
P.S. If you want to hear Bob in his own words, this StreetSmart Wisdom Podcast Wisdom Profile we did together is one of the most honest, funny, and profound hours I have ever recorded with anyone. From death and really living, to Ram Dass, to Yogi Berra.
Watch here:
