Theos Casimir Bernard (1908–1947)[1] was an explorer, and author, known for his work on yoga and religious studies, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism.[2]
Biography [edit]
Bernard first trained in law, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1931 and embarking on an internship in 1932, but decided instead to pursue an advanced degree at Columbia University.[3] There, according to 2010's The Madman's Middle Way, Bernard, who described himself as "the first white lama", became the first American to write a dissertation on the subject of Tibetan Buddhism.[4]
In 1936, he toured India and Tibet with his wife, Viola, studying Tantric Yoga in an effort to master its fundamental principles.[5] On his return to the United States in 1937, his experiences were published across the country over several weeks by the North American Newspaper Alliance and Bell Syndicate.[6] This was followed by a series of lectures and radio appearances in 1939 and by the publication of the memoir Penthouse of the Gods.[7] Bernard was also featured in popular magazines, including a cover story in Family Circle in 1939, followed shortly by his second book, Heaven Lies Within Us, which explored Hatha Yoga under the guise of an auto-biography.[8] According to 2008's Barbarian Lands, many of the experiences Bernard describes in his books have recently been discovered to have been fabricated, based on the experiences of his father.[9] In 1939, Bernard opened the American Institute of Yoga and the Pierre Health Studios.[10][11]
He died in 1947.
References [edit]
- ^ Hackett, Paul. Barbarian Lands: Theos Bernard, Tibet, and the American Religious Life. Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 2008.
- ^ . 15 September 2003 http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/theos_casimir_bernard.html.
- ^ Hackett. pp. 196–197.
- ^ Donald S. Lopez (15 May 2007). The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel. University of Chicago Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-226-49317-6.
- ^ Syman, Stefanie (22 June 2010). The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. Macmillan. pp. 119–120, 122. ISBN 978-0-374-23676-2.
- ^ Syman, 123.
- ^ Hackett, 687-690.
- ^ Hackett, 695-701.
- ^ Hackett, 694-702.
- ^ Hackett, 726-730.
- ^ Syman, 132.
Further reading [edit]
- Hackett, Paul. Barbarian Lands: Theos Bernard, Tibet, and the American Religious Life. Ph.D. dissertation, 2008. Columbia University.
- Hackett, Paul. Theos Bernard, the White Lama: Tibet, Yoga, and American Religious Life. Columbia University Press, 2012.
- Veenhof, Douglas. White Lama: The Life of Tantric Yogi Theos Bernard, Tibet's Emissary to the New World. Harmony Books, 2011.
