Gelong Thubten
Buddhist monk, bestselling author and meditation teacher bringing calm, clarity and resilience to modern life.
Why book Gelong Thubten for your next event
- Over 20 years of experience teaching meditation in settings ranging from universities and hospitals to boardrooms and global conferences.
- Bestselling author known for translating ancient Buddhist wisdom into practical tools for resilience, focus and emotional balance.
- A captivating speaker with a rare ability to make meditation accessible, engaging and immediately useful for modern audiences.
Non-binding request for Gelong Thubten
Buddhist monk and meditation teacher making mindfulness practical, human and relevant
Gelong Thubten is a Buddhist monk, bestselling author and one of the most influential meditation teachers in the UK. Known for his grounded, relatable teaching style, he brings the essence of meditation into everyday life without jargon or dogma. From global organisations and universities to festivals, hospitals and film sets, Thubten’s talks offer practical insight into how meditation can help people meet pressure, change and uncertainty with greater clarity and compassion.
Gelong Thubten – A Modern Voice of Meditation
Gelong Thubten’s journey to becoming a Buddhist monk and meditation teacher was shaped by firsthand experience of modern life. Educated at Oxford University, he initially pursued a career as an actor in London and New York. At the age of 21, after experiencing severe burnout, he made the life-changing decision to enter a monastery. In 1993, he was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk at Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, marking the beginning of a lifelong dedication to meditation practice and teaching.
Thubten has trained under highly accomplished meditation masters and has completed six years of intensive meditation retreats, including one continuous four-year retreat. This depth of practice forms the foundation of his teaching, giving his work an authenticity that resonates strongly with audiences seeking something real, grounded and transformative.
Making Ancient Wisdom Relevant Today
What sets Gelong Thubten apart is his ability to present Buddhist philosophy and meditation in a way that feels human, accessible and non-religious. His teaching style strips meditation back to its essentials, focusing on direct experience rather than abstract theory. This approach has allowed him to bring meditation into environments where it was once considered unlikely or inaccessible.
Over more than two decades, Thubten has taught meditation in schools, hospitals, prisons, universities and corporate settings across the world. He was among the first teachers in Europe to deliver meditation courses at an accredited university level, training fourth-year medical students at the National University of Ireland over several years. His work consistently bridges the gap between contemplative practice and the realities of modern professional and personal life.
Bestselling Author and Thoughtful Communicator
Gelong Thubten is also a widely respected author whose books have introduced meditation to a global audience. His first book, A Monk’s Guide to Happiness, published in 2019 by Hodder & Stoughton, became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller in the UK and is available in more than 17 countries. The book is praised for its honesty, warmth and practical guidance, offering readers tools to work with anxiety, distraction and emotional overwhelm.
In 2023, he published Handbook for Hard Times, another bestseller that speaks directly to people navigating uncertainty, loss and pressure. He is currently working on his third book. Earlier in his writing career, Thubten collaborated with Ruby Wax and neuroscientist Ash Ranpura on How to be Human, blending contemplative insight with scientific understanding of the mind.
Leadership, Service and Global Impact
Beyond his work as a speaker and author, Thubten plays an active role in charitable and spiritual organisations. He is the Director of Kagyu Samye Dzong Scarborough, a Buddhist centre he founded in Yorkshire, which serves as a hub for meditation, teaching and community practice. He is also a Trustee of ROKPA International, a humanitarian aid organisation delivering medical, educational and cultural programmes in some of the world’s poorest regions.
In addition, Thubten is a Director of Samye Foundation Wales, a mindfulness and wellbeing charity dedicated to supporting mental and emotional health. These roles reflect his commitment to applying meditation not only at an individual level, but also in service of wider social and humanitarian goals.
Sought-After Speaker for Global Stages
Gelong Thubten is a highly sought-after keynote speaker who has addressed audiences at the United Nations and lectured at the Universities of Oxford, Cardiff and Helsinki. His speaking engagements include major international events such as Hay Literary Festival, Oxford Literary Festival, WOMAD Festival, Wisdom 2.0 Europe, Tech Open Air in Berlin, Me-Convention by Mercedes-Benz, LinkedIn’s Talent Connect in Los Angeles, and Fifteen Seconds Festival in Austria and the US.
He has also worked closely with leading global organisations including Google, Accenture and Deloitte, helping teams understand how meditation can support focus, creativity and resilience in high-pressure environments. In a unique collaboration, Thubten served as meditation consultant on the set of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, training actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton in meditation techniques.
Book Gelong Thubten for Your Event
When you book Gelong Thubten for your event, you invite a speaker who combines deep contemplative experience with a clear understanding of modern challenges. His talks are engaging, insightful and practical, offering audiences tools they can apply immediately. Whether addressing leaders, healthcare professionals, students or creative teams, Thubten brings clarity, warmth and a calm authority that leaves a lasting impression.
Booking Gelong Thubten means giving your audience access to meditation teachings rooted in real life, delivered with honesty, humour and profound understanding of the human mind.
Keynotes
Keynote by Gelong Thubten:
Inner Happiness in the 21st Century
Some of the key issues driving inequality in today’s world are insatiable greed, the over-consumption of resources and a culture that rarely promotes compassion. We are encouraged constantly to want more ’things’, yet never seem to be fully satisfied, and we live with an increasing sense of loneliness and disharmony. What is needed is a radical change in focus, an emphasis on cultivating ‘inner happiness’ rather than a constant chase for material things. Crucially, compassion is a mental skill that can be learned, helping us to live less from a place of ‘ego’ and instead with a deeper connection to the world around us. Meditation can unlock these qualities in us, for the greater benefit of ourselves and others. Drawing on key insights from his bestselling book, ‘A Monk’s Guide to Happiness’, Gelong Thubten will explain the meaning and benefits of bringing meditation into the heart of 21st Century living.
Workshop by Gelong Thubten:
Meditation and Fearless Living
In this workshop, Gelong Thubten will introduce the practice of non-religious meditation, as a tool for improving mental resilience and the ability to live more fearlessly. In challenging times, faced with hardship in our own lives and in the world around us, we can feel disconnected and helpless. The regular practice of meditation can help us find inner strength and the power to bring more happiness into our world, with the wisdom and compassion to find sustainable solutions and put them into action. The workshop will provide practical techniques that can be applied at home and at work, and Thubten will aim to demystify and clarify some of the misconceptions surrounding this ancient yet highly relevant practice.
Secret Buddhist Practice To Stop Self Hate & Overthinking!
Watch Gelong Thubten in action!
