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Tibetologist, professor and filmmaker Richard Jay Kohn succumbed to cancer at his home in Kensington on Sunday. He was 51 and had been diagnosed over five years ago. 

Kohn taught Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at Indiana University and UC Santa Cruz, and was a research associate at the Center for South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. He lectured widely, and served as associate curator for the historic “Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet” exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. A prolific scholar, he published in scores of academic and popular journals and anthologies. His first book, “Lord of the Dance: The Mani Rimdu Festival in Tibet and Nepal” will be released next year by SUNY Press. Recently he was a founding director of the International Buddhist Film Festival, and executive editor of its forthcoming book, “Buddhism on Film.” 

Kohn’s long relationship with Tibet and Buddhism began when he was a teen-ager. He was introduced to Tibetan music and art while working off-Broadway in Manhattan. His fascination with this otherworldly realm led him to the University of Wisconsin – at the time, the only institution in America to offer a comprehensive program in Tibetan language, culture and philosophy. Kohn earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in South Asian Studies, complementing his knowledge with adept skills in anthropology, art history and photography. 

In 1979, Kohn won a Fulbright Fellowship to study Tibetan ritual and art in Nepal. He spent five years in the Himalayan kingdom, translating texts so obscure that their existence was virtually unknown before his arrival. “Rituals are what Tibetan monks spend most of their time doing,” he once observed. “If we want to understand these people on their own terms, we should look at their rituals.” 

His deep understanding of the great Sherpa festival of Mani Rimdu came to fruition in 1985, with the release of his documentary film, “Lord of the Dance/ Destroyer of Illusion.” The film embodied Kohn’s meticulous attention to detail. 

“I want my (audiences) to know,” he said, “that when you enter a Sherpa monastery at four in the morning to begin a 14-hour day of ritual, your tea from the night before is frozen solid in your cup.” 

“Lord of the Dance” was a critical success, hailed as “a jewel” and described as “mesmeric” and “ravishing.” Variety saluted Kohn “for having penetrated a secret world.” A shortened version – “Destroyer of Illusion: The Secret World of a Tibetan Lama” – was narrated by Richard Gere, and broadcast on the Discovery Channel and PBS. Kohn often showed his film at benefits, donating the proceeds to help restore the ancient Tibetan Buddhist monasteries he had filmed. 

To his many devoted friends, Kohn will be remembered for his generous heart, unflagging humor, and intense appreciation of good food, good films and great music. A gentleman scholar, he had the taste of a count – and the soul of a poet. 

Richard Kohn died peacefully on the evening of May 28th, with his wife Marianne by his side. Their 8-year-old son, Jack, helped perform the customary Tibetan Buddhist farewell rituals. Kohn was cremated, in accordance with Buddhist tradition, at the Sunset View Chapel in El Cerrito on Thursday.