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Rupert Gethin

b. 1957

Scholar of Buddhist studies

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About Rupert Gethin

Born 1957. Rupert Gethin is an academic, buddhologist and religious studies scholar.

Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin (born 1957, in Edinburgh) is Emeritus Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and (since 2003) president of the Pali Text Society. He holds a BA in Comparative Religion, a master's degree in Buddhist Studies (1982), and a PhD in Buddhist Studies (1987), all from the University of Manchester. He was appointed Lecturer in Indian Religion by the University of Bristol in 1987, and then Professor in Buddhist Studies in 2009. He retired from teaching in 2023.

His main area of research is the history and development of Buddhist thought and practice in the Nikāyas and Abhidhamma. His major publications include The Buddhist Path to Awakening and Sayings of the Buddha: New translations from the Pali Nikāyas. His 1998 book The Foundations of Buddhism is frequently used in university-level classes on Buddhism in English-speaking countries.

Gethin is a practicing Buddhist. He initially studied meditation in the Samatha Trust organisation, which has its roots in the meditation practice of Nai Boonman, a former Thai Theravādin Buddhist monk. Gethin has led a class on mindfulness of breathing in Bristol since the 1990s.

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Important facts

Born
1957, Edinburgh
Birth century
Education
University of Manchester
Employers
University of Bristol
Also known as
Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin

People in Rupert Gethin's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Rupert Gethin?

scholar of Buddhist studies

When was Rupert Gethin born?

Rupert Gethin was born in 1957 in Edinburgh.

What is Rupert Gethin's occupation?

Rupert Gethin is an academic, buddhologist and religious studies scholar.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Rupert Gethin

· Wikidata: Q7380288

· DBpedia: Rupert Gethin

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Rupert Gethin. https://biography.guide/rupert-gethin/

MLA: "Rupert Gethin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/rupert-gethin/.

Chicago: "Rupert Gethin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/rupert-gethin/.

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