List of converts to Buddhism
Encyclopedia
From Christianity
- Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891), Founder of Theosophical SocietyTheosophical SocietyThe Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
at New York - Colonel Henry Steel OlcottHenry Steel OlcottColonel Henry Steel Olcott was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer and the co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society....
(1832–1907), Founder of Theosophical SocietyTheosophical SocietyThe Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
at New York - Thomas William Rhys DavidsThomas William Rhys DavidsThomas William Rhys Davids was a British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pali Text Society.-Life:...
(1843–1922), British scholar of the Pāli language - Roberto BaggioRoberto BaggioRoberto Baggio is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time...
(born 1967), an Italian footballer (former Catholic) - Solomon BandaranaikeSolomon BandaranaikeSolomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கா)Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ்...
(1899–1959), Sri Lankan leader who converted from Christianity. - Ajahn CandasiriAjahn CandasiriAjahn Candasiri is a senior nun in the Thai Forest Tradition of Thai Theravada Buddhism.Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947, she became an occupational therapist in the mental health field after graduating from a university. Having been raised as a Christian she later as an adult began to take an...
(born 1947), Thai Buddhist nun from Scotland. (from Christianity) - Pema ChödrönPema ChödrönPema Chödrön is a notable American figure in Tibetan Buddhism. A disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, she is an ordained nun, author, and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage which Trungpa founded....
(born 1936), Tibetan Buddhist nun from New York (from Catholic Christianity) - Junius Richard JayewardeneJunius Richard JayewardeneJunius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence...
(1906–1996), First President of Sri Lanka, and former Prime minister - Charles R. JohnsonCharles R. JohnsonCharles R. Johnson is an American scholar and author of novels, short stories, and essays. Johnson, an African-American, has directly addressed the issues of black life in America in novels such as Middle Passage and Dreamer....
(born 1948), Political cartoonist, novelist, and Buddhist writer who converted at 14. (from African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
) - Herman VetterlingHerman VetterlingCarl Herman Vetterling , also known by the Tibetan pseudonym of Philangi Dasa, was a Swedenborgian philosopher who converted to Buddhism in 1884 and took the Tibetan name. He was one of the first Americans to officially embrace Buddhism...
(1849–1931), American mystic (from Swedenborgianism, but he maintained elements of Swedenborg thought after his conversion) - Henry Steel OlcottHenry Steel OlcottColonel Henry Steel Olcott was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer and the co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society....
(1832–1907), First well known person to convert to Buddhism. He helped bring about a resurgence and renaissance of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. - Ajahn SumedhoAjahn SumedhoLuang Por Ajahn Sumedho is the senior Western representative of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery just north of London from its consecration in 1984 until his retirement in 2010...
(born 1934), Most senior representative of the Thai Forest Tradition in the Western hemisphere. Abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK. - Ajahn BrahmAjahn BrahmAjahn Brahmavamso Mahathera , born Peter Betts in London, United Kingdom on 7 August 1951, is a Theravada Buddhist monk...
(born 1951), Religious teacher and student of the late Thai monk Ajahn ChahAjahn ChahVenerable Ajahn Chah Subhaddo was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition....
. Currently he is the abbot of the Bodhinyana Monastery, Perth and spiritual advisor to many Buddhist societies and organizations in Southeast Asia and Australia. - Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
- famous actor of NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n descent - Hank JohnsonHank JohnsonHenry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in DeKalb County, a largely suburban county east of Atlanta. It also includes portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale counties.-Life, education and...
(born 1954), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives - Meshell Ndegeocello (born 1968), songwriter
- Ernestine AndersonErnestine AndersonErnestine Anderson is an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than five decades, she has recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival , as well as at jazz festivals all...
(born 1928), jazz singer - Hugo Enomiya-LassalleHugo Enomiya-LassalleAiun-ken Hugo Makibi Enomiya-Lassalle was a German Jesuit priest and one of the foremost teachers to embrace both Roman Catholic Christianity and Zen Buddhism.Enomiya-Lassalle joined the Society of Jesus on the 25 april 1919...
(1898–1990), religious teacher - Irvin KershnerIrvin KershnerIrvin Kershner was an American film director and occasional actor, best known for directing quirky, independent films early in his career, and then Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. -Background:...
(1923-2010), American film director - Wayne ShorterWayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
(born 1933), saxophonist
From Islam
- Tillakaratne DilshanTillakaratne DilshanTillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan born October 14, 1976 in Kalutara, Sri Lanka is a Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team since April 2011. He has been a member of the team since November 1999, and was also known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan prior to his conversion...
(born 1976), Sri Lankan CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
player. Converted from IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Previously known as Tuwan Muhammad Dilshan. - Wong Ah KiuWong Ah KiuWong Ah Kiu , legally known as Nyonya Binti Tahir, was a Malaysian woman born to a Muslim family but raised Buddhist...
(1918–2006), her conversion from Islam became a legal issue in Malaysia on her death. - Mehmet SchollMehmet SchollMehmet Scholl is a former German football player with Turkish-German ancestry. He played most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Bayern Munich...
(born 1970), German football player - RZARZARobert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
(born 1969), rapper and actor, incorporates Buddhism and Taoism into his life.
From Judaism
- Surya DasSurya DasLama Surya Das is an American-born lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He is a poet, chantmaster, spiritual activist and author of many popular works on Buddhism; a teacher and spokesperson for Buddhism in the West. He has long been involved in charitable relief projects in the Third World...
(born 1950), Lama who founded Dzogchen Foundation and Centers. (from Judaism)
From Hinduism
- AśvaghoṣaAsvaghosa' was an Indian philosopher-poet, born in Saketa in northern India to a Brahmin family. He is believed to have been the first Sanskrit dramatist, and is considered the greatest Indian poet prior to Kālidāsa. He was the most famous in a group of Buddhist court writers, whose epics rivaled the...
(?80–?150 CE), Indian Buddhist figure, philosopher- poet - Ashoka the Great (277–232 BCE), converted from HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Indian emperor and early convert to Buddhism. - Iyothee ThassIyothee ThassIyothee Thass or Pandit C. Ayodhya Dasa was a practitioner of Siddha medicine who is regarded as a pioneer of the Dravidian Movement.- Early life :...
(1845–1914), SiddhaSiddha YogaSiddha Yoga is a spiritual path based on the Hindu spiritual traditions of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. The Siddha Yoga path was founded by Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa . The present spiritual head of the Siddha Yoga path is Gurumayi Chidvilasananda...
practitioner and leader of the Dravidian movementSelf-Respect MovementThe Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu, India. The movement has the aim of achieving a society where backward castes have equal human rights, and encouraging backward castes to have self-respect in the context of a caste based society that... - Rahul SankrityayanRahul SankrityayanMahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan , who is called the Father of Hindi Travel literature, was one of the most widely-traveled scholars of India, spending forty-five years of his life on travels away from his home. He became a buddhist monk and eventually took up Marxist Socialism...
(1893–1963), Hindi author and translator - B. R. AmbedkarB. R. AmbedkarBhimrao Ramji Ambedkar , popularly also known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, political leader, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, a revolutionary and one of the founding fathers of independent India. He was also the Chairman...
(1891–1956), converted from Hinduism, an early leader of the Dalit Buddhist movement. - Jagdish KashyapJagdish KashyapBhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap was born in 1908 in Ranchi, Bihar, India; he died 28 January 1976. His birth name was Jagdish Narain, and the name Kashyap was given to him at his bhikkhu ordination in 1933.-Education:* BA Patna College, 1929...
(1908–1976), Buddhist monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose... - Laxman ManeLaxman ManeLaxman Bapu Mane is a Marathi writer and a social activitist from Maharashtra, India. Mane came to sudden fame after publishing his autobiography Upara, , in 1980...
(born 1949), DalitDalitDalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
author and social worker. - Balachandran ChullikkaduBalachandran ChullikkaduBalachandran Chullikkadu is a renowned Malayalam poet and film actor.-Early life:Balachandran was born in Paravur, Ernakulam, Kerala. He completed his graduation in English literature from Maharajas College, Ernakulam.-Writing career:...
(born 1957), Malayalam languageMalayalam languageMalayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
poet from KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions.... - Udit RajUdit RajUdit Raj was born in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh into a low caste Khatik Hindu family, and studied for BA at Allahabad University. He was selected for the Indian Revenue Service in 1988 and served as the Dy, Commissioner, Joint Commissioner and Addl. Commissioner of Income Tax at New Delhi...
(born 1958), Prominent Indian social activist and Buddhist polemicist
From other or undetermined
- Menander IMenander IMenander I Soter "The Saviour" was one of the rulers of the Indo-Greek Kingdom from either 165 or 155 BC to 130 BC ....
(died c. 130 BCE), Greco-Buddhist king. (from pre-Christian Hellenistic religion) - Tan-luanTan-luanTánluán was a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is credited by Hōnen as the founder of Pure Land Buddhism in China. He is also considered the Third Patriarch in Japanese Jodo Shinshu Buddhism....
(6th to 7th century), Chinese Buddhist monk important to Pure Land BuddhismPure Land BuddhismPure Land Buddhism , also referred to as Amidism in English, is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular traditions of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha...
.(from TaoismTaoismTaoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
) - AnawrahtaAnawrahtaAnawrahta Minsaw was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma...
(1014–1077), founder of the first unified Burmese kingdom centred on Bagan.
- Ernest FenollosaErnest FenollosaErnest Francisco Fenollosa was an American professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University...
(1853–1908), An American professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University. - U DhammalokaU DhammalokaU Dhammaloka was an Irish-born hobo turned Buddhist monk, atheist critic of Christian missionaries, and temperance campaigner who took an active role in the Asian Buddhist revival around the turn of the twentieth century....
(c. 1856 – c. 1914), Buddhist activist in Burma. - Christmas HumphreysChristmas HumphreysTravers Christmas Humphreys, QC was a British barrister who prosecuted several controversial cases in the 1940s and 1950s, and later became a judge at the Old Bailey. He was an enthusiastic Shakespeare scholar and proponent of the Oxfordian theory...
(1901–1983), Founder of the Buddhist Society. - Anne Hopkins AitkenAnne Hopkins AitkenAnne Arundel Hopkins Aitken is considered by many to be one of the modern mothers of Zen Buddhism in the western world...
(1911–1994), one of the early leaders of ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhism in the West, co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha. - Robert Baker AitkenRobert Baker AitkenRobert Baker Dairyu Chotan Aitken Roshi was a Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha in 1959...
(born 1917), co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha. - Philip WhalenPhilip WhalenPhilip Glenn Whalen was an American poet, Zen Buddhist, and a key figure in the San Francisco Renaissance and close to the Beat generation.-Biography:...
(1923–2002), Beat generationBeat generationThe Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
poet and Zen monk. - George CockcroftGeorge CockcroftGeorge Cockcroft is an author who writes under the pen name Luke Rhinehart.-Biography:George Cockcroft was born in the United States, son of an engineer and a civil servant. He got his BA at Cornell University, and his MA at Columbia University. Subsequently he got a PhD in psychology, also at...
(born 1932), American author, converted to Zen at an unspecified point. - Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
(born 1939), American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress who has won eight Grammy Awards. - Joseph JarmanJoseph JarmanJoseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...
(born 1937), Jazz musician and Jodo ShinshuJodo Shinshu, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
priest. - Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
(born 1940), Jazz pianist who has also released funk and disco albums. - Robert ThurmanRobert ThurmanRobert Alexander Farrar Thurman is an influential and prolific American Buddhist writer and academic who has authored, edited or translated several books on Tibetan Buddhism. He is the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair...
(born 1941), Buddhist priest and writer who has been called "The Billy Graham of Buddhism." - Buster WilliamsBuster WilliamsCharles Anthony Williams is an American jazz bassist.-Biography:Williams has gained prestige among jazz musicians as a solid supportive player. Since the early 1960s, he has made subtle swing, a precise rhythm and superb technique the landmark of his playing...
(born 1942), Jazz bassist who introduced Hancock to Buddhism. - Tenzin PalmoTenzin PalmoJetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a Tibetan Buddhist nun in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school. She is an author, teacher and founder of the in Himachal Pradesh, India...
(born 1943), Nun of Drukpa Kagyu lineage. - Dennis Genpo MerzelDennis Genpo MerzelDennis Merzel is an American Zen and spirituality teacher, also known as Genpo Merzel Roshi. He was a student and is heir of the Japanese-born Zen teacher Taizan Maezumi. Merzel obtained a Master's degree in educational administration from the University of Southern California and went on to...
(born 1944), Abbot of Kanzeon Zen CenterKanzeon Zen CenterKanzeon Zen Center is a Zen Buddhist center located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is an affiliate of the White Plum Asanga, an association of Zen centers stemming from the tradition of Taizan Maezumi. Currently, the Abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center is Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi, and the Vice-Abbot is Rich...
. - Richard GereRichard GereRichard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
(born 1949), Actor and activist for TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an causes. - Arabella ChurchillArabella Churchill (charity founder)Arabella Spencer-Churchill was an English charity founder, festival co-founder, and fundraiser.In 1971, Churchill played a major role in the development of the Glastonbury Festival. In 1979, she set up the Children's Area of the Festival and also the Theatre Area. Until her death, she ran the...
(1949–2007), English charity founder, festival co-founder, and fundraiser. - Phil JacksonPhil JacksonPhilip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
(born 1945), former American professional basketball player and the current coach of the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association... - Steven SeagalSteven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
(born 1951), Action-film actor who was proclaimed a tulkuTulkuIn Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
. - Steve JobsSteve JobsSteven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
(1955–2011), founder and CEO of Apple Inc., converted while on a trip to India in the 1970s - Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
(born 1963), actor - MCA (born 1964), rapper and founding member of hip hop trio the Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
- Alistair Appleton (born 1970), British television presenter.
- Fabian Barthez (born 1971), goalkeeper
- Keanu ReevesKeanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
(born 1964), actor - Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
(born 1975), golfer - John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
(1912–1992), American composer - John CrookJohn CrookJohn Hurrell Crook, BSc, PhD, DSc , was a British ethologist who filled a pivotal role in British primatology....
(1930–2011), American composer - Natalie GoldbergNatalie GoldbergNatalie Goldberg is an American author. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice. Goldberg lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.-Books:*Chicken and in Love , ISBN 978-0930100049...
(born 1948), writer - Ole NydahlOle NydahlOle Nydahl is a lama in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism under guidance of Trinley Thaye Dorje. Since the early 1970s, Nydahl has toured the world giving lectures and meditation courses. With his wife, Hannah Nydahl, he founded Diamond Way Buddhism, a worldwide lay organization of Karma...
(born 1941), Lama teacher - Stephen Batchelor (born 1953), writer
- Surya DasSurya DasLama Surya Das is an American-born lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He is a poet, chantmaster, spiritual activist and author of many popular works on Buddhism; a teacher and spokesperson for Buddhism in the West. He has long been involved in charitable relief projects in the Third World...
(born 1950), poet - Reb AndersonReb AndersonTenshin Zenki Reb Anderson , is a Zen teacher and lineage holder in the Sōtō Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki. He is a Senior Dharma teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center and at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in Marin County, California, where he lives...
(born 1943), ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
teacher - David BeckhamDavid BeckhamDavid Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
(born 1975), a footballer - Orlando BloomOrlando BloomOrlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
(born 1977), actor - Miranda KerrMiranda KerrMiranda May Kerr is an Australian model. She is best known as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels since mid-2007. She is the first Australian to participate in the Victoria's Secret campaign and also represents Australian fashion chain David Jones...
(born 1983), model