Gelong Thubten

Gelong Thubten is one of the UK’s most influential meditation teachers and a bestselling author. Educated at Oxford University, he began his career as an actor in London and New York before severe burnout at age 21 led him to join a monastery. He was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in 1993 and has since completed six years of intensive meditation retreats, including one lasting four years.

For over three decades, Thubten has taught meditation in hospitals, schools, prisons, rehabilitation centres, and major global companies. He has worked with organizations such as Google, Accenture, and Deloitte, lectured at Oxford University, and delivered keynote talks at international institutions including the United Nations. He also served as the meditation consultant on Marvel’s Doctor Strange, training Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton.

As an author, Thubten has made meditation practices accessible to a wide audience. His first book, A Monk’s Guide to Happiness, was a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller and has been published in more than 17 countries. His second book, Handbook for Hard Times, is also a bestseller, and he is currently working on his third. Thubten is a director of several meditation centres as well as the humanitarian organization ROKPA International.

His approach is known for its clarity, warmth, and down-to-earth practicality, helping people cultivate resilience, compassion, and inner stability in the midst of modern life.