Brian K. Smith

PersonType	Category:Authors of English Works
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)
IsInGyatsa	No
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