Benito Fernandez Reyes (March 21, 1914– September 8, 1992) is a well-known Filipino

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

. He was appointed as the first

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), also officially as the University of the City of Manila, is a Local colleges and universities (Philippines), municipal public university in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It is funded by the city g ...

in 1967. When he moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1970s, Reyes founded the World University at

Ojai Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

.World University
. Accessed 26 February 2009.

Early life and career

Benito Reyes was born into abject poverty in Manila, Philippines on March 21, 1914. He was born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. His father, a band leader, abandoned the family when Benito was very young. His mother, Antera Fernadez was a well-known Po'O folk art healer (commonly known as a "death coach") who helped individuals transition through the death process. Antera died when Benito was in his early 20s. As a teenager, Benito Reyes, was selected by the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

as an important world leader similar to how they "discovered" and groomed

Jiddu Krishnamurti Jiddu Krishnamurti ( ; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian Philosophy, philosopher, speaker, writer, and Spirituality, spiritual figure. Adopted by members of the Theosophy, Theosophical tradition as a child, he was raised to fill ...

. Shortly after, Reyes was spiritually adopted by a childless Theosophist couple from Ojai, California, who financed his higher education studies in philosophy and psychology. Continuing on what he learned from his mother, Benito dedicated his career to the understanding of cross-cultural studies of spiritual beliefs and practices related to conscious dying. Before his inauguration as the PLM President, Reyes was a professor at

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...

for 21 years. In 1951–1952, he taught at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

as a Fulbright-Smith-Mundt professor, and in 1965, he was a Fulbright-Hays philosophy professor at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

. His scholar in residence Fulbright appointment was granted after he published his break-through book, ''Scientific Evidence of the Existence of the Soul'', a finalist in a literary contest funded by James Kidd, a wealthy prospector who was willing to bequeath his entire estate to anyone who could prove there was a visual spirit; a spirit which we could see. Reyes also lectured at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

, and other universities in America and around the world. He published a number of works on

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, and the quest for meaning and purpose of life in his poetry of ''1000 Sonnets for God''.Other Theosophical Groups
Accessed 26 February 2009. He was a member of the

International Association of University Presidents The International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) is an association of university chief executives from higher education institutions around the world. The IAUP was founded in 1964 in Oxford. Membership is limited to those individuals ...

(IAUP) that co-sponsored the World Peace

University of Costa Rica The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Mo ...

. He was also with the Institute de la Vie of France, International Institute of Environment in England and in the Institute of Religious Psychology of Japan. As a teenager, Benito married his childhood sweetheart Dominga Lopez, who was of Spanish descent. Together, they had seven children: Siddharta, Nourhalma, Thor-Alcyone, Alcor-Mizar, Amita, Adita, and Noemi. He died in his residence in Santa Paula, CA on September 8, 1992. He was 78.

References

External links

World University Online Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Benito People from Manila Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Far Eastern University alumni Presidents of universities and colleges in the Philippines 1914 births 1992 deaths