Brian K. Smith

From Tsadra Commons
Revision as of 18:19, 17 October 2024 by AlexC (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Smith, Brian K.

Smith Brian K. Lama Marut Website.jpg
PersonType Category:Authors of English Works
Category:Professors Emeritus
Category:Western Buddhist Teachers
FirstName / namefirst Brian
LastName / namelast Smith
namemiddle K.
MainNamePhon Brian K. Smith
SortName Smith, Brian K.
namealt Lama Marut
bio Brian was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1953 to Gordon and JoAnne Smith who moved to St. Paul Minnesota soon thereafter. His father and grandfather were ordained Baptist ministers and Brian had an abiding interest and education in the Christian tradition.

He did his undergraduate work at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and went on to earn a Ph.D. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago, where he focused on Hindu and Sanskrit texts. During his academic studies, he cultivated an unorthodox understanding of religion thanks to the influence of such renowned scholars as Mircea Eliade, Wendy Doniger and Jonathan Z. Smith.

Brian taught for over two decades in the academic world, first at Columbia University’s Barnard College and later, at the University of California, Riverside, where he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2004.

In 1998, Brian began an intensive study of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gelugpa tradition with Geshe Michael Roach and his teacher, Geshe Lobsang Tharchin. Later he took further teachings and initiations with Lama Christie McNally, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen and Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. He became a Tibetan Buddhist monk and took the ordination name of Sumati Marut, becoming affectionately known by his many students as Lama Marut. He lived as a monk for 8 years.

Brian – now called Lama Marut – continued his interest in comparative religion, studying the teachings of other spiritual masters, drawing inspiration from many past and contemporary teachers of the Buddhist and yoga traditions. He also returned to his Christian roots through study and personal friendships with Christian priests and ministers.

In addition to several scholarly studies and translations based on Sanskrit materials, Brian/Lama Marut, authored the popular and award-winning books, A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life and Be Nobody. (Source Accessed May 3, 2021)

YearBirth 1953
YearDeath 2019/10/19
BornIn Seattle, Washington
associatedwebsite Organization Website
affiliation University of California, Riverside
religiousaffiliation Tibetan Buddhist
StudentOf Roach, M.  ·  Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
phduniversity University of Chicago
education
  • Ph.D. in Comparative Religion, University of Chicago
  • B.A. Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
IsInGyatsa No
Other wikis

If the page does not yet exist on the remote wiki, you can paste the tag {{PersonCall}} inside the destination page. But please first make sure you are on the right page. Some wikis have the person page on Person/<COMMONS PERSON PAGENAME>, in which case the page <COMMONS PERSON PAGENAME> needs to be redirected. Ask if you need clarification.