Wealth and fame can’t always create happiness.
Just ask Tibetan monk-turned-professor Robert Thurman. Thurman, the chair of the religion department at Columbia University, says that many celebrities have achieved fame and success and realized that alone can’t bring happiness. Thurman says that for this reason, the Buddhist philosophy seems natural for many celebrites.
Celebrities, perhaps, like his daughter Uma Thurman, who was named after a Buddhist Sanskirt term meaning “Great Middle Way. Uma Thurman is also on the board of directors of the Tibet House.
Here is a look at some famous Buddhists.
Richard Gere
Richard Gere is a Tibetan Buddhist. According to an article by Anna Argasinski of the College of New Jersey, Tibetan Buddhism is bound in disciplines of the imagination. Argasinski concludes that because of this, artsy types like Gere are attracted to the belief system.
Gere appeared in an episode of The Simpsons, where he gave Lisa guidance on Buddhism. (Her family wins her back to Christianity with Christmas)
Not only is Gere probably one of the most famous Buddhists in the West, but is also a huge supporter of the Dalai Lama and Eastern causes. He founded the Tibet House and is on the board of other Tibetan causes. Gere visits India frequently to brush up on his Buddhism. According to ZenBound.com, Gere and fellow actor and Buddhist Keanu Reeves are working together to make a film in India about the life of Buddha.
Keanu Reeves
Reeves starred in 1993’s Little Buddha; many believe the role piqued his curiosity of Buddhism.
Naomi Watts
According to ActressArchives.com Watts took an interest in Buddhism while filming The Painted Veil. The site said that she was drawn to the belief systems of Buddhism, and even started to meditate.
Orlando Bloom
According to Britain’s Daily Mirror, in 2004 Bloom took part in a religious ceremony with 60 other devotees where he formally committed to the faith. And, the Lord of the Rings star reportedly took some time off from making movies to devote some time to becoming a Buddhist. According to BuddhistChannel.com, he chants daily.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn considers herself Jewish and Buddhist. She said in an interview on Beliefnet that she did not have to forsake her Jewish roots to embrace Buddhism. Hawn visits India annually.
Tina Turner
Turner was born into a Baptist family, but she adopted the Buddhist way of life early in her musical career. According to an article on CBSnews.com, she said that she credits Buddhism with giving her strength. She chants daily-and in fact there are videos on YouTube.com of this.
George Lucas
At Leadership U, Terry Mattingly wrote an article about Star Wars and its religious allegory. She likens Yoda to giving Buddhist teachings, in fact. Robert Thurman wrote about Lucas for the his American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and commented in his tribute that he uses Lucas’s Star Wars stories in his lectures at Columbia. In fact, if one googles Star Wars + Buddhism, hundreds of articles come up. Lucas defines himself as Buddhist-Methodist.
Steven Seagal
Action movie star Seagal is allegedly a tulku, or a recreation of a Buddhist master. According to a statement by Buddhist teacher H.H. Penor Rinpoche at The Action Lama, he recognized his student Seagal as a tulku, however Runpoche explained that Seagal has not been enthroned.
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