List of Buddhists

A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists.

Major Buddhist thinkers, historical figures and founders of schools

Ananda
Asanga
Atisha (founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan_Buddhism)
Bodhidharma (legendary first patriarch of Zen in China)
Buddhaghosa (Theravadin commentator)
Chandrakirti
Dharmakirti
Chih I (founder of Tien Tai school)
Dogen Zenji (founder of Soto Zen)
Fa-Tsang
Fa Xian (translator and pilgrim)
The Buddha
Hakuin (Rinzai Zen)
Hui Neng (6th Patriarch of Zen in China)
Jnanagupta (translator)
Jnanayasas (translator)
Kukai (9th Century Japanese monk, founder of Shingon)
Linji
Longchenpa
Nagarjuna (influential Buddhist philosopher)
Nichiren Daishonin (founder of Nichiren Buddhism)
Nikko (founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism)
Padmasambhava (semi-legendary founder of Nyingma school of Tibetan_Buddhism)
Rōben (8th Century Japanese monk, invited Simsang to Japan and founded the Kegon tradition, based upon the Korean Hwaeom school)
Ryokan (18th Century Japanese Zen monk and poet)
Saicho (9th Century Japanese monk, founder of Tendai tradition, based upon the Chinese Tiantai school)
Sariputta (Pali. Shariputra Sanskrit. One of two chief disciples of the Buddha.)
Shantideva (8th Century Indian)
Shinran
Simsang (8th Century Korean monk, who at the request of Rōben helped transmit Hwaeom to Japan, thereby founding the Japanese Kegon tradition)
Tsongkapa
Uisang (7th Century Korean monk, founder of Hwaeom tradition, based upon the Chinese Huayan school)
Vasubandhu
Yi Jing (pilgrim and translator)
Xuanzang (brought Yogacara to China to found Faxiang school, significant pilgrim, translator)