# Richard Gombrich

Richard Francis Gombrich (born 17 July 1937) is an Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit, Pāli, and Buddhist Studies. He was the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford, who dedicated 40 years of his life to studying Buddhism and Pali language at Oxford University, shares his understanding of Buddhism.

## Misattributed

Richard Gombrich does not call himself a Buddhist.

### "When I say I'm a Buddhist"

* It doesn’t mean I’m purer and nicer than others. But it means I have too much ignorance and mental defilement to remove. I need Buddha's wisdom.
* It doesn’t mean I have more wisdom than others. But it means I have been occupied by too much arrogance. I need to learn to be humble and to develop a broader perspective.
* It is not because I am better or worse than others, but because I understand all beings are equal.
* I know I only love those to my taste, but Buddha loves even people he does not like, guiding them to be full of wisdom and compassion. That’s why I choose to follow Buddha’s teachings！
* It is not with the goal of getting what’s in my interest. But for letting go of my personal clinging to all worldly desires.
* It is not because I pursue a smooth life. But for the calm acceptance of impermanence, and be calm and confident like a king in any adverse circumstances.
* I do not mean to manipulate others with the motivation of self-interest. But with good use of wisdom, to benefit self and others while being empathetic to all sentient beings.
* It is not because I want to escape from the world and pursue nothingness. But to know everyday life is within Dharma, and to live in the present is to practice.
* It does not mean that my life will no longer experience setbacks. But with the Dharma, setbacks are transformed into a cause for my growth.
* My heart is filled with endless gratitude. Just thinking I was born as a human and have the ability to practice in this life, with the opportunity to meet wise teachers and hear the Buddha's teachings, I am deeply moved by this unbelievable karmic affinity.
* It is not because there is a God outside me. But that I find the true Buddha-nature of my own heart.

## References

* ↑ What the Buddha Thought, An interview with Richard Gombrich, a historian of early Buddhism

## External Links

Modern Buddhist writers 19th century to date :
| Theravada / Vipassana movement | B. R. Ambedkar • Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu • Ajahn Chah • Anagarika Dharmapala • Joseph Goldstein • Henepola Gunaratana • Noah Levine • Nyanaponika Thera |
| Mahayana | Daisaku Ikeda • Yin Shun • Alfred Bloom |
| Vajrayana | Pema Chödrön • Kelsang Gyatso • Tenzin Gyatso • Matthieu Ricard • Robert Thurman • Chögyam Trungpa |
| Zen | Taisen Deshimaru • Thích Nhất Hạnh • Philip Kapleau • D. T. Suzuki • Han Yong-un • Hsing Yun • Sheng Yen |
| Other and Secular Buddhism | Stephen Batchelor • Robert Wright |
| Scholars | Lokesh Chandra • Walter Evans-Wentz • Richard Gombrich • Thomas Rhys Davids |
| Non-Buddhists influenced by Buddhism | Edwin Arnold • Helena Blavatsky • Fritjof Capra • Leonard Cohen • Alexandra David-Néel • Hermann Hesse • Carl Jung • Jon Kabat-Zinn • Friedrich Nietzsche • Henry Steel Olcott • Rajneesh • Helena Roerich • J. D. Salinger • Arthur Schopenhauer • Gary Snyder • Alan Watts • Alfred North Whitehead |
* Clay Sanskrit Library Homepage
* Gombrich, Richard Francis, Digital Library & Museum of Buddhist Studies: Buddhist Author Authority Database.
* Professor Richard Gombrich | University of Oxford