Notable People in Buddhism

An introductory list of important people in Buddhism. This will be expanded much further as time permits.

Ananda

The Buddha's cousin and one of his primary disciples. He memorized and recited the Buddha's teachings, and so was known as the Dhammabhandagarika, "treasurer of the teachings."

Dalai Lama

Leader of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.

Gautama

The given name of the historical Buddha.

Nhat Hanh, Thich

(1926-) Expatriate Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist.

Sakyamuni

"Sage of the Sakya tribe." Another name for the historical Buddha.

Sources

1. John Bowker, ed., Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford UP, 2000).
2. Damien Keown, Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism (Oxford UP, 2003).
3. Jonathan Landlaw and Stephen Bodian, Buddhism for Dummies (Wiley, 2003).
4. "Buddhism."  Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service, 2004).
5. "List of Buddhists" - Wikipedia