Having been named by Time as one of the “25 Most Influential Americans,” Robert Thurman has cultivated a worldwide awareness of Tibet through his writing, translation of important Buddhist texts, and activism. He is the co-founder and president of Tibet House U.S. and the Je Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in this field of study in the United States. His latest book is Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as The Solution for China, Tibet and the World.