List of Buddhists

This is a list of notable Buddhists, encompassing all the major branches of the religion, and including interdenominational and eclectic Buddhist practitioners. This list includes both formal teachers of Buddhism, and people notable in other areas who are publicly Buddhist or who have espoused Buddhism.

Philosophers and founders of schools

Individuals are grouped by nationality, except in cases where their influence was felt elsewhere. Gautama Buddha and his immediate disciples are listed separately from later Indian Buddhist thinkers, teachers and contemplatives.

Buddha's disciples and early Buddhists

Gautama Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama

;Clergy

Ānanda, the Buddha's cousin, personal attendant of the Buddha and a chief disciple
Aṅgulimāla, serial killer who attained to sainthood after renouncing wickedness
Anuruddhā, one of the ten principal disciples
Aśvajit, one of the first five disciples of the Buddha
Devadatta, another cousin of Siddhārtha and later rival who attempted to assassinate the Buddha
Kātyāyana, foremost in explaining the Dharma
Kaundinya, the first arhat and one of the first five disciples of the Buddha
Khemā, a chief of the women disciples
Kisā Gautamī
Mahākāśyapa
Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī, Buddha's aunt and foster mother, as well as the first woman to be ordained
Maudgalyāyana, one of two chief disciples of the Buddha
Nanda, younger half-brother of the Buddha
Paṭācārā
Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja
Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra, one of the ten principal disciples
Rāhula, son of Siddhārtha and Yasodharā
Revata
Śāriputra one of two chief disciples of the Buddha
Subhūti, one of the ten principal disciples
Sundarī Nandā, the Buddha's half-sister
Sunīta, a low-caste man who reached enlightenment
Upāli, foremost disciple in knowledge of the Vinaya
Utpalavarṇā
Yasodharā, Siddhārtha's wife before he renounced the palace life

;Laity

Amrapali, royal courtesan who donated her mango grove, Ambapali vana to the Order
Anathapindika, wealthy merchant, banker and the chief male patron
Ajātasattu, King of Magadha and the son of King Bimbisāra
Bimbisāra, King of Magadha
Chandaka, prince Siddhārtha's charioteer
Citta, wealthy merchant and chief lay male disciple of the Buddha and an Anāgāmi
Cunda Kammāraputta, a smith who gave the Buddha his last meal
Hatthaka of Alavi, chief lay male disciple of the Buddha and an Anāgāmi
Khujjuttara, one of the Buddha's foremost female lay disciples and the servant of Queen Samavati
Pasenadi, King of Kosala
Samavati, one of the queens of King Udena of Kosambi and a Sotāpanna
Śuddhodana, leader of the Shakya clan and father of the Buddha
Velukandakiya, lay female disciple
Viśākhā, an aristocratic woman and chief female patron

Later Indian Buddhists (after Buddha)

Aryadeva, foremost disciple of Nagarjuna, continued the philosophical school of Madhyamaka
Aśvaghoṣa, Sarvāstivāda Buddhist philosopher, dramatist, poet and orator from India
Atiśa, holder of the "mind training" teachings, considered an indirect founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism
B. R. Ambedkar, founder of Navayāna
Bhāviveka, early expositor of the Svatantrika branch of the Madhyamaka school
Bodhidharma, founder of Chan Buddhism
Bodhiruci, patriarch of the Dilun school
Batuo, founding abbot and patriarch of the Shaolin Monastery
Buddhaghosa, Theravadin commentator
Buddhapālita, early expositor of the Prasaṅgika branch of the Madhyamaka school
Chandragomin, renowned grammarian
Candrakīrti, considered the greatest exponent of Prasaṅgika
Dharmakirti, famed logician, author of the Seven Treatises; student of Dignāga's student, Īśvārasēna; said to have debated famed Hindu scholar Adi Shankara
Dharmakīrtiśrī, author of the "Wheel of Sharp Weapons" in what is believed to be modern Sumatra, Malay, or Burma
Dignāga, famed logician
Kamalaśīla, author of important texts on meditation
Kumārajīva, Buddhist monk, scholar, missionary and translator from the Kingdom of Kucha, Central Asia
Luipa, one of the eighty-four tantric Mahasiddhas
Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhyamaka school, widely considered the most important Mahayana philosopher
Nadapada, Tilopa's primary disciple, teacher of Marpa the Translator and Khungpo Nyaljor
Saraha, famed mahasiddha, forefather of the Kagyu lineage
Śāntarakṣita, abbot of Nalanda, founder of the Yogacara who helped Padmasambhava establish Buddhism in Tibet
Shantideva, author of the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra
Śīlabhadra, Buddhist monk and philosopher and erstwhile abbot of Nālandā University in India
Tilopa, recipient of four separate transmissions from Nagarjuna, Nagpopa, Luipa, and Khandro Kalpa Zangmo; Naropa's teacher

Indo-Greek

Dharmaraksita, Greek Buddhist missionary sent by emperor Ashoka, and a teacher of the monk Nagasena
Mahadharmaraksita, Greek Buddhist master during the time of Menander
Nāgasena, Buddhist sage questioned about Buddhism by Milinda, the Indo-Greek king in the ''Milinda Pañha''

Central Asian

An Shigao, Parthian monk and the first known Buddhist missionary to China, in 148 CE
Dharmarakṣa, Yuezhi monk, the first known translator of the Lotus Sutra into Chinese
Jñānagupta, monk and translator from Gandhara
Kumārajīva, Kuchan monk and one of the most important translators
Lokaksema, Kushan monk from Gandhara, first translator of Mahayana scriptures into Chinese, around 180 CE
Prajñā, monk and translator from Gandhara, who translated important texts into Chinese and educated the Japanese Kūkai in Sanskrit texts

Chinese

Baizhang Huaihai, Zen Buddhist master of Tang dynasty
Bodhidharma, first patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Dahui Zonggao, 12th-century kōan master
Daman Hongren, fifth patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Dayi Daoxin, fourth patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Dazu Huike, second patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Faxian, translator and pilgrim
Fazang, the third of the five patriarchs of the Huayan school of Mahayana Buddhism, of which he is traditionally considered the founder.
Guifeng Zongmi, fifth patriarch of the Huayan school
Hong Yi, calligraphist, painter, master of seal carving
Huangbo Xiyun, 9th-century teacher of Linji Yixuan
Huineng, sixth and last patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Ingen, 17th-century Chinese Chan monk, founder of the Ōbaku sect of Zen
Ji Gong, Buddhist monk revered as a deity in Taoism
Jizang, founder of East Asian Mādhyamaka
Jnanayasas, translator
Linji Yixuan, 9th-century Chinese monk, founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism
Mazu Daoyi, 8th-century Chan master
Moheyan, 8th-century Chinese monk, advocate of "sudden" enlightenment
Sanghapala, 6th-century monk who translated many texts to Chinese
Sengcan, third patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China
Wumen Huikai, author of the Gateless Gate
Xuanzang, brought Yogacara to China to found the East Asian Yogācāra school; significant pilgrim, translator
Xueting Fuyu, 13th-century Shaolin Monastery abbot of the Caodong school
Yijing, pilgrim and translator
Yunmen Wenyan, founder of one of the five schools of Chan Buddhism
Yuquan Shenxiu, Tang dynasty, patriarch of "Northern School" sect of Chan Buddhism
Zhaozhou, 9th-century Chan master; noted for "Mu" koan
Zhiyi, founder of the Tiantai school

Tibetan

Gampopa, student of Jetsun Milarepa and founder of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
Jigten Sumgön, founder of Drikung Kagyu Lineage
Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, founder of the Jonang school and advocate of the shentong philosophy
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, leader of Rime movement
Longchenpa, one of the greatest Nyingma philosophers
Mandarava, important female student and consort of Padmasambhava
Marpa Lotsawa, student of Naropa and a founder of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
Milarepa, foremost student of Marpa Lotsawa
Padmasambhava, founder of Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism
Karmapa, the founder of Karma Kagyu or Kamtsang Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
Jamgon Kongtrul, Tibetan Buddhist scholar, artist, physician and polymath and leader in Rime movement
Sakya Pandita, one of the greatest Sakya philosophers
Taranatha, important Jonang scholar
Je Tsongkhapa, 14th-century Tibetan monk, founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, based upon the Kadam
Yeshe Tsogyal, important female student and consort of Padmasambhava
Rongzom Mahapandita, important Nyingma scholar and meditation master of Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism

Japanese

Bankei Yōtaku, Zen master of the Rinzai school
Dōgen Zenji, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen, based upon the Caodong school
Eisai, travelled to China and returned to found the Rinzai school of Zen
Hakuin Ekaku, Rinzai school of Zen
Hōnen, founder of the Jōdo-shū school of Pure Land Buddhism
Ikkyū, Zen Buddhist monk and poet
Ippen, founder of the Ji-shū sect of Pure Land Buddhism
Kūkai, founder of Shingon Buddhism
Myōe, monk of Kegon and Shingon Buddhism, known for his propagation of the Mantra of Light
Nakahara Nantenbō, Zen master and artist
Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism
Nikkō, founder of Nichiren Shōshū
Rōben, invited Simsang to Japan and founded the Kegon tradition based upon the Korean Hwaeom school
Ryōkan, Zen monk and poet
Saichō, founded Tendai school in Japan, also known by the posthumous title Dengyō Daishi
Shinran, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū school of Pure Land Buddhism and disciple of Hōnen
Takuan Sōhō, Zen teacher, and, according to legend, mentor of the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
Gempō Yamamoto, Zen master
Shinjō Itō, founder of Shinnyo-en

Korean

Gihwa, Korean Seon monk; wrote commentaries on the Diamond Sutra and Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment
Jinul, Korean Seon monk ; founder of modern Korean gong'an meditation system
Uisang, Korean monk, founder of Hwaeom tradition, based upon the Chinese Huayan school
Woncheuk
Wonhyo, Korean monk; prolific commentator on Mahayana sutras

Burmese

Shin Arahan, Thathanabaing of the Pagan Kingdom from 1056 to 1115
Taunggwin Sayadaw last Buddhist monk to hold the official title of Thathanabaing of Burma
Ledi Sayadaw, scholarly monk and propagator of Vipassanā meditation
Mingun Jetawun Sayādaw, one of the key figures in the revival of Vipassanā meditation
Sunlun Sayadaw, renowned Vipassanā meditation master and popular meditation teacher among the monks
Webu Sayadaw, renowned Vipassanā meditation master
Mogok Sayadaw, renowned Vipassanā meditation master
Mahasi Sayadaw, who had significant impact on the Vipassana movement in the West and throughout Asia
Thamanya Sayadaw, Buddhist monk of Pa-O descent and best known for his doctrinal emphasis on metta
Mingun Sayadaw, best known for his memory skills and his important role in the Sixth Buddhist Council, awarded the title of Tipitakadhara, meaning Keeper and Guardian of the Tipitaka
Panditarama Sayadaw, renowned Vipassanā meditation master who taught many Western meditation teachers and students
Chanmyay Sayadaw, well-known monk and editor of the Buddhist scriptures in Pali for the Sixth Buddhist Council
Sayadaw U Pannavamsa, well known for his missionary work, the abbot of Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in Penang and Burmese Buddhist Temple (Singapore)
Vijjotārum Sayadaw, Buddhist monk who was the 15th Thathanabaing and Mahanayaka of the Shwekyin Nikaya, ovādācariya of Kaba Aye Pagoda
Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Sayadaw, founder of Maha Bodhi Tahtaung and planted many thousands of Bodhi trees, built thousands of pagodas and Buddha statues
Sitagu Sayadaw, his organisation funded many social projects, including water pumps, construction of hospitals, also the founder of Sitagu International Buddhist Academy
Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa, renowned scholarly monk and specialise in Abhidhamma, the rector of International [Theravada Buddhist Missionary University]
Pa-Auk Sayadaw, renowned Vipassanā meditation master and the abbot of Pa-Auk Forest Monastery
Taung Galay Sayadaw, Buddhist monk of Karen descent, was awarded the honor of Agga Maha Kammatthanacariya
Ashin Abhijātābhivaṃsa, the 12th recipient of the title of Tipiṭakadhara Dhammabhaṇḍāgārika

;Laity

Sayagyi U Ba Khin, propagator of Vipassanā meditation in the Ledi tradition and founder of the International Meditation Centre
Daw Mya Thwin, who has established centres for vipassana meditation worldwide

Thai

Somdet Phra Buddhacarya, monk who was the preceptor and teacher of King Rama IV
Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao Kromma Phraya, 8th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana Somdet Phra Sangharaja, the 9th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1893 to 1899
Ajahn Sao Kantasīlo, one of the pioneers of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, mentor of Ajahn Mun
Somdet Phramahasamanachao Kromphraya Vajirananavarorasa, the 10th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1910 to 1921, who helped to institutionalize Thai Buddhism
Ajahn Mun Bhūridatta, monk who established the Thai Forest Tradition or "Kammaṭṭhāna tradition"
Khruba Siwichai, best known for the building of many temples during his time, his charismatic and personalistic character
Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro, monk who founded the Dhammakaya Movement in the early 20th century
Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo, first-generation student of the Thai Forest Tradition
Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana Somdet Phra Sangharaja, the 17th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1972 to 1973
Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana, the 16th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1965 to 1971
Somdet Phra Sangharaja Chao Krommaluang Jinavajiralongkorn, the 18th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1973 to 1988
Phra Phimontham, well-known monk and proponent of vipassana meditation
Phra Ajaan Thate Desaransi, first-generation student of the Thai Forest Tradition and one of the founding teachers of the lineage
Buddhādasa Bhikkhu, famous and influential Thai ascetic-philosopher of the 20th century
Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo, regarded as one of the great teachers and meditation masters of the Thai Forest Tradition
Ajahn Maha Bua, well-known monk in the Thai Forest Tradition
Somdet Phra Sangharaja Chao Krommaluang Vajirañāṇasaṃvara, the 19th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1989 to 2013
Ajahn Fuang Jotiko, student of Ajahn Lee, well-known monk in the Thai Forest Tradition
Ajahn Chah, monk well known for his students from all over the world
Ajahn Suwat Suvaco, student of Ajahn Funn and established four monasteries in the United States
Phra Chanda Thawaro, student of Ajahn Mun, one of the best known Thai Buddhist monks of the late 20th and early 21st centuries
Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana IX, the 20th and current Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, practitioner of the Thai Forest Tradition
Upali Thera, Thai Buddhist monk and founder of the Siam Nikaya Order in Sri Lanka. He visited Kandy in 1753 and there performed Upasampadā.

Sri Lankan

Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero, the last Sangharaja of Sri Lanka
Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera, the founder and first Maha Nayaka Thera of Rāmañña Nikāya
Sri Piyaratana Tissa Mahanayake Thero, Mahanayaka Thero of the Amarapura Nikaya, and the Sanganayake of the Southern Province

Rulers and monarchs

Anawrahta, founder of the Pagan Kingdom and credited with introducing Theravada Buddhism there and reintroducing it in Ceylon
Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor of ancient India, and the first Buddhist ruler to send Buddhist missionaries outside of India throughout the Old World
Brihadratha Maurya, last ruler of the Maurya Empire
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta, king of the Toungoo Dynasty, assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, viewed himself as the protector of Theravada Buddhism, and had long tried to promote and protect the religion in Ceylon, introduced more orthodox Theravada Buddhism to Upper Burma and the Shan states, prohibited all human and animal sacrifices throughout the kingdom
Harsha, Indian emperor who converted to Buddhism
Jayavarman VII, king of Cambodia
Kanishka the Great, ruler of the Kushan Empire
Kublai Khan, Mongol khagan and founder of the Yuan dynasty of China
Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia, he converted to Buddhism on his deathbed, spending most of his life as a Nestorian Christian
Menander I, 2nd century BCE, a king of the Indo-Greek Kingdom of Northwestern India who questioned Nāgasena about Buddhism in the Milinda Pañha and is said to have become an arhat
Mindon Min, penultimate King of Burma and facilitator of the Fifth Buddhist council
Emperor Ming of Han, born Liu Yang and also known as Liu Zhuang and as Han Mingdi, the second emperor of China's Eastern Han dynasty.
Mongkut, king of Thailand and founder of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya
Prince Shōtoku, mythologized crown prince and regent of Japan
Theodorus, Indo-Greek governor, author of a Buddhist dedication
Wu Zetian, only female Empress Regnant in Chinese history
Emperor Wu of Liang was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Southern dynasties period.
Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura, King of Anuradhapura
Dutugamunu of Anuradhapura, King of Sri Lanka
Bimbisar, founder of Haryanka dynasty
Ajātasattu, second emperor of Haryanka dynasty
Udayin, third emperor of Haryanka dynasty
Pasenadi, King of Kosala

Modern teachers

Theravada teachers

Tibetan Buddhist teachers

Anagarika Govinda
B. Alan Wallace
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche
Damba Ayusheev, the XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama in Russia
Dhardo Rimpoche
Dilgo Khyentse
Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
Gyaincain Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama
Kalu Rinpoche
Karma Thinley Rinpoche
Kelsang Gyatso
Matthieu Ricard
Ole Nydahl
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa
Sakyong Mipham
14th Dalai Lama
Tenzin Palmo
Thubten Yeshe, Tibetan lama who, while exiled in Nepal, co-founded Kopan Monastery and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. He followed the Gelug tradition.
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Trijang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Dzogchen, Mahamudra and the Chokling Tersar
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Gelek Rimpoche
Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche
Lama Doboom Tulku Rinpoche
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Sakya Trizin
Thubten Chodron
Pema Chödrön
Robina Courtin
Robert Thurman
Mark Epstein

Dzogchen and Bon teachers

Zen teachers

;American

;Chinese

;European
Austrian

Myokyo-ni

British

Danish

Choan Bertelsen Roshi

French

Taïkan Jyoji

German

Italian

Carlo Zendo Tetsugen Serra

Irish

U Dhammaloka

Polish

Małgorzata Braunek

Swedish

Swiss

Indian

Ama Samy

;Japanese

;Korean

;Malaysian

Chi Chern

; Singaporean

;Taiwanese

Guang Qin , founder of Cheng Tian Temple in Taiwan
Yin Shun , founder of Humanistic Buddhism
Sheng-yen , founder of Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan
Cheng Yen , founder of Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan
Hsing Yun , founder of Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan
Wei Chueh , founder of Chung Tai Shan in Taiwan

;Vietnamese

Writers

Paula Arai, American professor and Buddhist studies scholar, specializing in the academic study of women and Buddhism
Bhikkhu Analayo, known for his comparative studies of early Buddhist texts as preserved by the various early Buddhist traditions
Benimadhab Barua, Indian scholar of ancient Indian languages, Buddhism and law
Buddhādasa Bhikkhu, his works take up an entire room in the National Library of Thailand, and inspired a group of Thai social activists and artists of the 20th century
Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu, remembered for his reliable translations from the Pali into English, remarkable command of the Pali language and a wide knowledge of the canonical scriptures
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, known for his translations of almost 1000 Sutta in all and providing the majority of the sutta translations in a website known as "Access to Insight"
Bhikkhu Bodhi, second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition
Tara Brach, American psychologist and author
Acharya Buddharakkhita, Indian Buddhist monk and prolific writer who established the Mahā Bodhī Society of Beṅgaḷūru, and had written 150 books and published two periodicals
Shaila Catherine, American Buddhist meditation teacher and author in the Theravādin tradition
Tanaka Chigaku
John Crook, British ecologist, sociologist, and practitioner of both Ch'an and Tibetan Buddhism tradition
Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda, Buddhist monk and scholar in Malaysia, wrote approximately 60 Buddhist works, ranging from small pamphlets to texts of over 700 pages
Phra Dhammavisuddhikavi, ex-Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Mahamakut Buddhist University and has written 70 books on Buddhism
Allen Ginsberg, poet
Joseph Goldstein, one of the first American Vipassana teachers, contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism
Nakamura Hajime
Charles Hallisey, Senior Lecturer on Buddhist Literatures at Harvard Divinity School
Chittadhar Hridaya
Hsuan Hua, Tripitaka Master; extensive English commentaries on the major Mahayana Sutras: Avatamsaka Sutra, Shurangama Sutra, Shurangama Mantra, Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and many others
Christmas Humphreys, British jurist who found London Buddhist Society, also wrote a number of works on Buddhism
Daisaku Ikeda, former President of the Soka Gakkai International
K. N. Jayatilleke, best known as the author of the book Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge
Y. Karunadasa, Sri Lankan scholar in Buddhist Studies, whose areas of specialization are Early Buddhism and Theravada Abidhamma.
Nishitani Keiji
Jack Kerouac, American novelist
Nishida Kitaro
Jack Kornfield, American book writer, student of renowned forest monk Ajahn Chah, and teacher of Theravada Buddhism
Noah Levine, American Buddhist teacher and author
Joanna Rogers Macy, American poet and writer
Sudarshan Mahasthavir, Nepalese Buddhist monk and author who played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal and Nepal Bhasa literature
Katukurunde Nyanananda Mahathera, best known for the research monograph Concept and Reality in Early Buddhist Thought
Nyanatiloka Mahathera,, translated several important Theravadin Pali texts into German, also wrote a Pali grammar, an anthology, and a Buddhist dictionary
S. Mahinda, Sikkimese Theravadin Buddhist monk and poet who has written over 40 books
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Japanese educator and founder of the Soka Gakkai
Edward Salim Michael, composer and author
Achan Sobin S. Namto, taught Vipassana meditation and Buddhist psychology in Southeast Asia and North America for over 50 years
Karl Eugen Neumann, first translator of large parts of the Pali Canon of Buddhist scriptures from the original Pali into German
Gudo Wafu Nishijima, compiled one of three complete English versions of Dōgen's ninety-five-fascicle Kana Shobogenzo and also translated Dogen's Shinji Shōbōgenzō
Henry Steel Olcott, major revivalist of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and composed the notable "Buddhist Catechism" in 1881
Kenneth Pai, Chinese-American writer
P. A. Payutto, lectured and written extensively about a variety of topics related to Buddhism, awarded the 1994 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education
P. D. Premasiri, Buddhist scholar specializing in the areas of Buddhist ethics and Buddhist philosophy
Sharon Salzberg, teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in the West, and also a New York Times best-selling author
Sangharakshita, founder of the Triratna Buddhist community
Sheng-yen, religious scholar, one of the most respected teachers of Chinese Ch'an Buddhism, and founder of spiritual and educational organization Dharma Drum Mountain
Yin Shun, brought forth the ideal of "Humanistic" Buddhism and regenerated the interests in the long-ignored Āgamas among Chinese Buddhists
Sīlācāra, prolific writer and translator, translated Bhikkhu Ñāṇatiloka's The Word of the Buddha, from German into English
Shunryū Suzuki, Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States
Weligama Sri Sumangala, outstanding scholar bhikkhu with many important publications
Taixu, activist and thinker who advocated the reform and renewal of Chinese Buddhism
Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera, did great service to improve the Buddhist education in Sri Lanka, also the founder of Vidyodaya Pirivena
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Sri Lankan Buddhist orator and one of the pioneers in Buddhist revival movement
Nyanaponika Thera, co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society, contemporary author of numerous seminal Theravada books
Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera, founder of Vidyalankara Pirivena, which presently known as University of Kelaniya
Palane Vajiragnana Thero, Buddhist monk and scholar, who the first broadcaster of Buddhist sermon over the radio in Sri Lanka
Robert Thurman, American author, editor and translator of books on Tibetan Buddhism, Je Tsongkhapa professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and co-founder and president of Tibet House U.S.
Josei Toda, peace activist and second president of the Soka Gakkai
Phra Paisal Visalo, writing and editing books on environment and Buddhism, co-founder of Sekiyadhamma, a network of socially engaged monks in Thailand
Brad Warner, American monk, writer, and musician
Alan Watts, English writer and lecturer
Frank Lee Woodward, English educationist and Pali scholar, compiling the vast concordance of Pāli Canon by translating eighteen of the forty-two volumes of the Pali texts into English
Robert Wright, American journalist and author.
Han Yong-un, Korean Buddhist reformer and poet

Politicians and activists

Indian

B. R. Ambedkar, Indian nationalist, jurist, scholar, political leader, anthropologist, economist and architect of the Constitution of India
Phoolan Devi, Indian bandit and politicians.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Indian lawyer and statesman serving as the President of the Indian National Congress since 2022 and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha since 2021.
Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician and the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee.
Prakash (Balasaheb) Ambedkar, Indian politician, Grandson of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Ramdas Athawale, Indian politician
Udit Raj, Indian politician and member of Indian National Congress. Raj, a Dalit, converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in 2001.
Kiren Rijiju, Indian politician and activists.
Kanshi Ram, Indian politician and founder of Bahujan Samaj Party.
Sonam Wangchuk Founder of Student's Educational and Cultural Movement Of Ladakh. And a Social Activist
Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, Indian politician and the chief of Bhim army.
Kumari Mayawati, 18th Chief Minister of Uttarpradesh and Lawyer.

Malaysian

Tan Cheng Lock, Malaysian nationalist, businessman and founder of Malaysian Chinese Association, key figure in the independence of Malaysia.

Japanese

Morihiro Hosokawa, is a Japanese politician and noble who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994, leading a coalition government which was the first non-Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party] government of Japan since 1955.

Burmese

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy in Burma; received the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991
U Nu, Prime Minister of Burma and facilitator of Sixth Buddhist Council
U Thant, Burmese diplomat and third Secretary-General of the United Nations
Win Ko Ko Latt, Burmese ultranationalist

American

David Ige, American politician. He was the 8th Governor of Hawaii. A Democrat, he served in the Hawaii State Senate from 2003 to 2014 and the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, he defeated incumbent Governor Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary, and won the general election over Republican nominee Duke Aiona. Ige was reelected in 2018.
Colleen Hanabusa, U.S. Congresswoman, Democrat and lawyer from Hawaii.
Kazuhisa Abe was a Democratic state senator and justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
Mazie Hirono, U.S. Senator, U.S. Congresswoman and Democrat from Hawaii; first elected female Senator from Hawaii, first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, first U.S. Senator born in Japan and the nation's first Buddhist Senator.
Hank Johnson, U.S. Congressman and Democrat from Georgia; one of the first two Buddhists to serve in the United States Congress.
Derek Tran, Democratic Congressman from CA-45.
Chi Ossé, American politician and activist from New York City who serves as a member of the New York City Council and son of Combat Jack.
Irene Shin, American politician and former non-profit executive serving as a delegate of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022.

English

Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English politician; served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Orpington and served in the House of Lords, having inherited the title of Baron Avebury in 1971.
Suella Braverman is a British barrister and politician who has served as Home Secretary since 25 October 2022. She previously held the position from 6 September to 19 October 2022 under Liz Truss. A member of the Conservative Party, she was chair of the European Research Group from 2017 to 2018 and Attorney General for England and Wales from 2020 to 2022. She has been the member of Parliament for Fareham in Hampshire since 2015. She took her oath of office on the Dhammapada.

South Korean

Jiyul, Buddhist nun from South Korea who fasted to stop destruction of Korean salamander lands
Pomnyun, South Korean Buddhist monk, Zen master, and peace activist who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in 2002 for his peace activism on the issue of Korean peninsula.

Vietnamese

Thích Huyền Quang, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, dissident and activist; formerly the patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam; in 2002, he was awarded the Homo Homini Award for his human rights activism by the Czech group People in Need
Thích Quảng Độ, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, current patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam; awarded the Homo Homini Award for human rights activism by the Czech group People in Need in 2002; nine-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Thích Quảng Đức, Vietnamese Mahayana monk and self-martyr for freedom of religion; burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963

Sri Lankan

D. S. Senanayake, Prime Minister of Ceylon
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and first female Prime Minister in the world.
Sir Cyril de Zoysa, President of the Senate of Ceylon from 1960 to 1965, also a leader in the Buddhist revival movement in Ceylon.

Film and television

American

Dan Harris, American meditation teacher and retired journalist
Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer
John Astin, American actor
Kate Bosworth, American actress
Jeff Bridges, American actor; he has elaborated that his Buddhism is more like a general calmness.
Drew Carey, American actor, comedian, game show host and photographer.
Peter Coyote, American actor and author
Robert Downey Junior, American Jewish Buddhist actor; he has said many times that Buddhism has helped him with his drug and alcohol addiction.
Patrick Duffy, American actor and director. The actor was brought closer to the teachings of Buddhism by his late wife, the ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser. He has been practicing the religion for almost 50 years as of 2022 and describes it as an "essential part" of his life.
Chris Evans, American actor and a student of Indian Buddhism. He spent three weeks in Rishikesh in 2005 or 2006 at a Buddhist retreat and attends a Buddhism class in LA.
Richard Gere, American actor
Ron Glass, American actor and comedian.
Kate Hudson, American actress and businesswoman.
Michael Imperioli, American actor, writer, director and musician. In 2008, Imperioli became a Buddhist.
Chris Kattan, American actor, comedian and author.
David Labrava, actor, writer, tattoo artist, former member of the Hells Angels, and motorcycle enthusiast.
Celeste Lecesne, American actor, author, screenwriter, LGBT rights activist, founder of The Trevor Project
Anthony Lee, American actor and playwright.
Mandy Patinkin, American actor and singer known for his work in musical theatre, television and film.
Elliot Page, American-Canadian actor and activist.
Jeremy Piven, American actor, comedian and producer.
Steven Seagal, American actor and aikido expert
Garry Shandling, American actor and comedian.
Martin Starr, American actor and comedian.
Oliver Stone, American film director
Sharon Stone, American actress, producer, and former fashion model
George Takei, American actor and author
Duncan Trusell, American actor and stand-up comic
Marcia Wallace, American actress, voice artist, comedian

Brazilian

Betty Faria, Brazilian actress.
Dayenne Mesquita, Brazilian actress who played the lead role in two telenovelas.
Edson Celulari, Brazilian actor
Carmo Dalla Vecchia, Brazilian actor.
João Vitti, Brazilian theatre and telenovela actor.

British

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, British-Nigerian actor best known for his roles on television
Alex Day is an English musician, vlogger and writer. Day has released seven studio albums, two EPs, and had three UK Top 40 hits.
Alex Ferns is a Scottish actor and television personality. His EastEnders role as Trevor Morgan was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain", when he played the role between 2000 and 2002.
David Yip, British actor and playwright.
Tanya Moodie, British-Canadian actor and producer, best known for her work on the television series Motherland and Silo.
Tom Baker, British actor and writer.
Orlando Bloom, English actor known for his roles in film.
James Norton, English actor.
John Garrie,, was a British actor who later became a respected teacher of Zen Buddhism.
Benedict Cumberbatch, British actor.
John Cleese, British actor and comedian.
Gigguk, British actor, YouTuber and podcaster who is known for his comedic rants and reviews on anime and otaku culture.
Gordon Hopkirk was a British actor of the silent era.
Pamela Nomvete, British actress.
Peter Dean, British actor
Peter Finch, English–Australian actor of theatre, film and radio.
Donovan, British singer, songwriter and record producer.
Chris Gascoyne, English actor
Claudia Jessie, British actress
Barry Letts, English actor, television director, writer and producer
Thandiwe Newton, English actress.
Naomi Watts, British-Australian actress and film producer
Anulka Dziubinska, is an English actress and model. She was featured as Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in May 1973.
Zhang Tielin is a British actor and film director. He is best known for portraying the Qianlong Emperor in the first two seasons of the Chinese television series My Fair Princess.
Laura Howard is an English actress.
Rula Lenska is a British actress. She mainly appears in British stage and television productions and is known in the United States for a series of television advertisements in the 1970s and 1980s.
Lauren Harries, English actress and television personality.

Danish

Anne Louise Hassing, Danish actress

Hong Konger

Chow Yun-fat, famous Hong Kong actor
Michael Lam, former Hong Kong film actor and ordained as Buddhist monk in 2009, resident monk at Tsz Shan Monastery
Andy Lau, Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Hong Kong actor and singer, one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognized actors.

Indian

Danny Denzongpa is an Indian actor, singer, and film director who primarily works in Hindi and occasionally in Bengali, Nepali, and Tamil films.
Kushal Badrike, actor, comedian
Tisca Chopra, Indian actress
Bhalchandra Kadam, actor, comedian
Shraddha Das, Indian actress and model
Ravi Dubey, Indian Nichiren Buddhist actor, model and producer. He said, "I started following Buddhism when I was going through a very rough patch in my life and I wanted some understanding of the chaos that was going on in one's life. I wanted to align myself and feel better about myself. So, when things went out of control, I started chanting at that time."
Manav Gohil, Indian actor and producer..
Tusshar Kapoor, Indian Bollywood actor and producer.
Ayushman Khurrana, Indian film actor and activist. He and his wife Tahira Kashyap are followers of Nichiren Buddhism, which they state has helped them through a cancer diagnosis.
Gagan Malik, Indian actor.
Hansika Motwani, Indian actress. She has said in an interview, "The best way to effectively de-stress for me is to chant- Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo, as I strongly follow Buddhism."
Mandakini is an Indian former actress. She is best remembered for her lead role in the 1985 popular film Ram Teri Ganga Maili.
Meiyang Chang is an Indian actor, television host, singer and a dentist.
Abhijeet Sawant, actor and singer

Italian

Marco Columbro, Italian actor and television host.
Manuel De Peppe, Italian actor, producer and singer, converted to Buddhism in 2011.

Macanese

Isabella Leong, Macanese actress and former singer.

Malaysian

Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian actress

Polish

Andreas Wisniewski, German actor and former dancer
Maja Ostaszewska, Polish actress and model.
Małgorzata Braunek, Polish film and stage actress.

Singaporean

Huang Wenyong, Singaporean actor and host
Lin Meijiao, Singaporean actress

Spanish

Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress and model.

Taiwan

Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese language cinema for her extensive and varied roles in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films
Takeshi Kaneshiro, Japanese actor and singer based in Taiwan

Thai

Napapa Tantrakul, Thai actress

Venezuelan

Eva Ekvall, Venezuelan fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Venezuela 2000.

Billionaires

American

George Dvorsky, Transhumanist, Futurist and a director of Humanity+
Jack Dorsey, American technological entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, as well as the founder and CEO of Block, Inc., a financial payments company.
Linda Pritzker, American lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She is a spiritual teacher, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Namchak Foundation and Namchak Retreat Ranch.
Nita Ing is the Taiwanese-American president of Continental Engineering Corporation and the former chairman of the board of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation, the company which built a high-speed railway system from Taipei to Kaohsiung. A supporter of the Democratic Progressive Party, she had been an advisor to the former President Chen Shui-bian.

British

Andy Puddicombe is a British author, public speaker and a teacher of meditation and mindfulness. He, alongside Richard Pierson, is the co-founder of Headspace, a digital health company that provides guided meditation training and mindfulness for its users.
Clare Melford, British businesswoman and former CEO of Global Disinformation Index.

Chinese

Jack Ma, a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist.
Chen Feng, is a Chinese businessman and founder of business conglomerate HNA Group and Hainan Airlines.
Wang Jianlin, is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the chairman, founder, and majority shareholder of the Dalian Wanda Group He previously owned 17% of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid.

French

Pierre Omidyar, French technology entrepreneur, software engineer, and the founder of eBay.

Hong Konger

Li Ka-shing is a Hong Kong billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist.

Japanese

Yehan Numata, Japanese industrialist and Buddhist missionary, founder of Mitutoyo Corporation and Society for the Promotion of Buddhism.

Malaysian

Robert Kuok, Malaysian business magnate, investor and philanthropist. According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated at $11.8 billion as of April 2023, making him the wealthiest Malaysian citizen and 96th wealthiest person in the world.

Sri Lankan

Ernest de Silva, Ceylonese business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Ceylonese philanthropist of the 20th century.

Music

American

Adam Yauch, better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two mildly successful dance-pop albums.
Aliana Lohan, American singer, actress, fashion model and television personality. Ali Lohan converted to Buddhism after being raised in Catholicism.
Arthur Russell, American cellist, composer, producer, singer, and musician.
Anthony Newman, American classical musician. While mostly known as an organist, Newman is also a harpsichordist, pianist, composer, conductor, writer, and teacher.
Bennie Maupin, American jazz multireedist who performs on various saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet.
Belinda Carlisle, American singer
Brad Warner, American Sōtō Zen monk, author, blogger, documentarian and [Punk rock|punk rock bass guitarist].
Buster Williams, American jazz bassist
Cher, American singer and actress. She is known for her androgynous contralto voice, bold fashion and visual presentation, and multifaceted career. Her screen roles often reflect her public image as a strong-willed, outspoken woman. An influential figure in popular culture, Cher has sustained a career spanning more than six decades through continual reinvention.
Chi Cheng, American musician and poet, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the American alternative metal band Deftones.
Chynna Rogers, American rapper, disc jockey, and model who was signed by Ford Modeling Agency at the age of 14 and affiliated with the ASAP Mob.
Coco Lee, Chinese-American singer and songwriter.
Courtney Love, American singer-songwriter
Duncan Sheik, American singer-songwriter and composer
Combat Jack, known professionally as Combat Jack, was a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster.
David Bennett Cohen, American musician best known as the original keyboardist and one of the guitar players for the late-1960s psychedelic rock and blues band Country Joe and the Fish.
Earl Sweatshirt, American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
Eric Erlandson, American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002. Erlandson has practiced Buddhism since 1992.
Esperanza Spalding, American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, a Soul Train Music Award.
Jesse Michaels, American songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, artist, and author from Berkeley, California.
John Cage, American singer and composer.
Joseph Bowie, American jazz trombonist and vocalist. The brother of trumpeter Lester Bowie, Joseph is known for leading the jazz-punk group Defunkt and for membership in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.
Joseph Jarman was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest.
June Millington, Filipino American guitarist, songwriter, producer, educator, and actress.
Katy Perry, American singer-songwriter, and television judge. She is known for her influence on the pop sound and style of the 2010s. Pursuing a career in gospel music at 16, Perry released her commercially successful debut album, Katy Hudson, under Red Hill Records.
Patti Smith, American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer.
Paul Masvidal, American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and a founding member of Cynic.
Phạm Phi Nhung, Vietnamese-American singer, actress and humanitarian. She specialised in Dan Ca and Tru Tinh music. She sang for Paris By Night and Van Son and also acted in their plays and Tinh production. She also recorded music for Lang Van.
Phoebe Snow, American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals backing Paul Simon on "Gone at Last".
Peter Rowan, American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings.
Laurie Anderson, American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting. She became more widely known outside the art world when her single "O Superman" reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1981. She also starred in and directed the 1986 concert film Home of the Brave.
Li Na, Chinese-American folk singer that gained particular popularity in the late 1980s and the 1990s China.
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, American singer, arranger, composer, music director, producer, DJ, orchestral conductor and educator.
Nikolas Schreck, American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany.
Roberta Donnay, American jazz singer. jazz vocalist, composer, and band leader produced by Orrin Keepnews. She is a practicing Buddhist.
Rob Mounsey, American musician, composer, and arranger.
Rick Rubin American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former president of Columbia Records. He practiced Buddhism and meditation.
Stacey Q, American pop singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's "Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten in five other countries.
Steven Sater, American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter best known for Spring Awakenings
Suzanne Nadine Vega, American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years.
Tina Turner, American singer-songwriter and received 12 Grammy Awards, which include eight competitive awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and three Grammy Hall of Fame inductions. Rolling Stone ranked her among the greatest artists and greatest singers of all time. She was the first black artist and first woman to be on the List of people on the United States cover of [Rolling Stone (1960s)|cover of Rolling Stone], the first female black artist to win an MTV Award.
Wayne Shorter, American jazz saxophonist and composer.
Zeena Schreck, American singer, visual and musical artist, author and the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement.

Australian

Jimmy Barnes, Australian singer

British

Amazonica is a British rock singer and DJ.
Annabella Lwin is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead vocalist of Bow Wow Wow.
David Bowie, English singer-songwriter and actor.
Boy George, English singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer, mixed media artist, photographer and record producer
Maxi Jazz, British rapper
Gary Glitter, is an English former glam rock singer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1980s Glitter became a Buddhist and a vegetarian.
Limahl, is an English pop singer. He was the lead singer of the pop group Kajagoogoo beginning in 1981, before embarking on a brief solo career, garnering the 1984 hit "The NeverEnding Story", the theme song for the film of the same name.
Howard Jones, English musician, singer and songwriter
Nick Jago is an English musician, best known as the former drummer and founding member of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Richard Batsford is an English pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. A further concert in 2010 at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre saw the same collaboration.
Sandie Shaw is a retired English pop singer. One of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s, she had three UK number one singles with "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", "Long Live Love" and "Puppet on a String".

Canadian

Beverly Glenn-Copeland, U.S.-born Canadian musician, songwriter and singer
Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter/poet
k.d. lang, Canadian singer

Chinese

Faye Wong, Chinese singer and actress
Zhou Xun, Chinese actress and singer. Regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China, Zhou became the first Chinese actor to achieve the "Grand Slam" in 2009.

Hong Kong

Daniel Chan, Hong Kong singer, songwriter, and actor.
Jacky Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor
Aaron Kwok, Hong Kong singer and actor, also known as the "God of Dance"
Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer and actress, considered one of the most iconic Cantopop singers
Alan Tam, Hong Kong singer and actor, who played major role in developing the Cantopop scene in the 1980s

Indian

Vaishali Mhade, singer
Shibani Kashyap, Indian singer
Abhijeet Kosambi, singer
Surekha Punekar, Indian folk artist
Adarsh Shinde, singer, musician
Vitthal Umap, singer

Italian

Carmen Consoli, Italian singer and songwriter
Catherine Spaak, Italian singer

South Korean

Winter, South Korean K-pop idol, member of Aespa
Max Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ.
Soyeon, South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer, under Cube Entertainment.

Thai

Lisa, Thai rapper, singer and member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink.

Sport

Football

Brett Kirk, former Australian rules football player and current assistant coach.
Fabien Barthez, French goalkeeper. He is the first Buddhist footballer in the world to win a Football World Cup and Euro 2000|Euro].
Josh Scobey is a former American football running back and kick returner who played seven seasons in the National Football League.
Kwak Hee-Ju is a South Korean footballer who plays as a defender who last played for Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Kim Do-hoon, is a South Korean professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Singaporean club Lion City Sailors before his 11 August 2022 resignation.
Kim Eun-jung, is a South Korean retired footballer who played as a striker. He is currently a coach at Tubize after joining the team in 2015 as a youth scout.
Park Ji-sung, is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career. He is the first Asian footballer to have won the UEFA Champions League, to play in a UEFA Champions League Final|UEFA Champions League final], as well as the first Asian to have won the FIFA Club World Cup Final|FIFA Club World Cup].
Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese soccer player
Sébastien Frey, French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Frey has credited former Fiorentina legend Roberto Baggio as one of his spiritual mentors.
Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
Mario Balotelli Barwuah, Italian professional footballer. He is studying Buddhism in a bid to find inner peace and has bought several copies of the dharma, the religion's teachings, and set up a quiet area with a statue of Buddha where he can meditate.
Mehmet Scholl, German football manager and former player.
Wang Dalei, is a Chinese professional footballer who currently plays for Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan and the China national team.

Cricket

Asanka Gurusinha is a Sri Lankan Australian former international cricketer who had an 11-year international career, playing 41 Tests and 147 One Day Internationals for Sri Lankan [cricket team|Sri Lanka].
Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan former cricketer and consultant coach.
Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, and businessman.
Pravin Tambe, India cricketer.
Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan professional cricket player and Captain of T20 International cricket of Sri Lanka.
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan batter.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lankan cricket player who converted from Islam to Buddhism at the age of 16, previously known as Tuwan Muhammad Dilshan.
Tillakaratne Sampath, Sri Lankan cricket player previously known as Tuwan Mohammad Nishan Sampath
Sumon Barua is a first-class and List A cricketer from Bangladesh. A right-handed batsman and right arm medium fast bowler, he played for Chittagong Division in 2001/02.
Suraj Randiv, Sri Lankan cricket player.

Basketball

Phil Jackson, American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive.
Grant Hill, American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive.

Fencing

Dorina Vaccaroni, Italian former fencer, competing in the foil. She received a gold medal in the foil team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Swimming

Anthony Ervin, American gold medalist swimmer.

Rugby

Jonny Wilkinson, English former rugby union player.
Ricky Evans, Welsh former international rugby union player.

Golf

Tiger Woods, American golfer
Grace Park is a retired South Korean professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. She was a member of the LPGA Tour from 2000 until her retirement in 2012 and won six LPGA Tour events, including one women's major [golf championships|major championship], during her career.
Bae Sang-moon, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Boxing

Lucia Rijker, Dutch boxer
Suro Krishna Chakma, Bangladeshi boxer and businessman.

Wrestlers

Jinsei Shinzaki, is currently signed to the Michinoku Pro Wrestling promotion where he is the promotion's president. Shinzaki is also known for his appearances with other Japanese promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. Shinzaki is perhaps most known for his stint in the United States-based World Wrestling Federation.
Kim Hyeon-woo is a male wrestler from South Korea. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kim won the gold medal in the 66 kg Greco-Roman wrestling final.
Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling.
Peter Thornley is an English retired professional wrestler who was best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki.

Sumo wrestling

Hakuhō Shō

Military

American

Aidan Delgado, American attorney, author, and war veteran
George Lennon, American-Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War
John David Provoo, United States Army staff sergeant.
Shiro Kashiwa, first Attorney General of Hawaii to be appointed after it became a state in 1959
Ming Chang – rear admiral (upper half), U.S. Navy, retired. Department of Navy Inspector General, 1987–1990
Ellison Onizuka, U.S. Air Force Colonel and first Asian American astronaut of NASA

British

Arthur Lillie, was a Buddhist, soldier in the British Indian Army, and a writer.
Neville Armstrong was a British soldier, literary agent, and publisher.

Buddhist practitioners notable in other fields

Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist, philosopher, cybernetician, and neuroscientist who is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to biology.
Anne Rudloe, American marine biologist. She was the co-founder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory in Panacea, Florida.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, oligarch, administrator and politician. He was President of the Republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation from 1993 to 2010, and was president of FIDE, the chess international governing body, from 1995 to 2018.
George Dvorsky, Transhumanist, Futurist and a director of Humanity+
Edward Snowden, American former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower
Tenzing Norgay, first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Jet Li, Chinese martial artist, Hollywood actor
Naima Mora, American fashion model and winner of America's Next Top Model
Maya Soetoro-Ng, Indonesian American writer, university instructor and maternal half-sister of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States
Priscilla Chan, pediatrician and philanthropist, wife of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

Fictional Buddhists

Anime and manga

Gautama Buddha, protagonist from Saint Young Men
The cast from Ah My Buddha
Ikkyū, protagonist from Ikkyū-san
The cast from Oseam
Seishin Muroi, character from Shiki
Yoh Asakura, protagonist of the anime/manga Shaman King
Hanamaru Kunikida, character from Love Live! Sunshine!!
Miroku, character from Japanese Anime Inuyasha
Krillin, character from the Dragonball series
Kaname Asahina, Chiaki and Yūsei, characters from Brothers Conflict
Chichiri, character from Fushigi Yūgi
Yakumo Kokonoe, character from The Irregular at Magic High School
Mayura Sōda, Miyuki Sagara, and Yukimasa Sagara, characters from RDG: Red Data Girl
Keisei Tagami and Akasha Shishidō, characters from the Corpse Princess series
Anji Yūkyūzan, character from Rurouni Kenshin
Enkai, character from ''Requiem from the Darkness''

Graphic novels

Enigma, Marvel Comics superheroine
Xorn, Marvel Comics character and member of the X-Men
Green Lama, American pulp magazine hero
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke), DC Comics superhero

Literature

Sun Wukong, Monkey King in Chinese epic novel Journey to the West, and a fictional pupil of historical Chinese monk Xuanzang
Mary Elizabeth, character from the novel ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower''

Film and television

Steve Jinks, character from Warehouse 13, "The New Guy"
Daryl Dixon, character from The Walking Dead, Episode 8 "Bloodletting"
Kahn Souphanousinphone, character from the cartoon King of the Hill
Connie Souphanousinphone, character from the cartoon King of the Hill
Dale Cooper, protagonist of the television series Twin Peaks
Kyle Valenti, character from the television series Roswell
Lisa Simpson, feminist and daughter of Homer and Marge Simpson, character from the cartoon The Simpsons Episode 275 "She of Little Faith"
* Lenny and Carl and Carl Carlson, and Lenny Leonard
Trini Kwan, original Yellow Ranger of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Wendy Wu, protagonist of the Disney Channel Original Movie Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
Master Splinter, Zen sensei/teacher to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Hiro Nakamura, protagonist character in TV series Heroes
Gi, Planeteer able to wield the element water
Edina Monsoon from the Absolutely Fabulous TV sitcom
The God character in South Park, episode "Probably"
Charlie Crews, Zen Buddhist, protagonist of television series Life
Buddha, character from Air Buddies
Satomi Ito, Alpha Werewolf and leader of Buddhist werewolf pack in the television series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)''

Video games

Liu Kang, character from the video game and later movie, Mortal Kombat
Sage, a class of trainer from the Pokémon series

Misc

2D, lead singer and keyboardist of the British virtual band Gorillaz
List of [Pure Pwnage characters#Web series|Jeremy], from the popular web series ''Pure Pwnage''