Born into abject poverty in Manila, Philippines on March 21, 1914, Dr. Benito Reyes began his exploration in spirituality and mysticism as a young child. Raised by his mother Antera Fernandez, a well-known Po’O folk art healer (commonly known as a “death coach,” Benito learned of the importance of the transition from life to death. This foundation became a principal tenet in his philosophies, teachings, and worldview.
As a teenager, Benito Reyes was selected by the Theosophical Society as an important world leader and thinker. Shortly thereafter, Reyes was spiritually adopted by a Theosophist couple from Ojai, California who financed his higher education studies in philosophy and psychology. Continuing from 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, Dr. Reyes was a professor at Far Eastern University for 21 years. In 1951–1952, he taught at Boston University as a Fulbright-Smith-Mundt professor. In 1965, he was a Fulbright-Hays philosophy professor at the State University of New York. His Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence was granted after he published his break-through book, Scientific Evidence of the Existence of the Soul.
Dr. Reyes also lectured at Harvard, Brown, and many other universities in the United States and around the world.
Dr. Reyes published a number of works on philosophy, psychology, and spirituality during his lifetime including his book of poetry, “1000 Sonnets for God.” He was a member of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) that co-sponsored the World Peace University of Costa Rica. He was also an advisor for the Institute de la Vie of France, the International Institute of Environment in England, and the Institute of Religious Psychology of Japan.
Dr. Benito’s life was dedicated to education for the betterment of both the individual and the world at large. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western philosophies, his skill and passion as an orator and educator, and his commitment and enthusiasm to healing the world through his peaceful message solidify Dr. Benito F. Reyes’s legacy as one of the foremost educators and minds in the philosophies and practices related to death and dying.
“Be without fear and doubt. Let your mind be filled with wisdom and your heart with boundless love for all beings…There is nothing but God and, therefore, everything is holy and true.”
- Dr. Benito F. Reyes
