Oliver Tanner, PhD, is a Buddhist scholar and practitioner whose work combines over two decades of careful study of the Pāli Canon with sustained vipassanā meditation, maintained through daily practice and extensive experience in silent retreat settings.
Originally from the UK, Oliver lived and studied in Myanmar for three years, undertaking an in-depth study of the Pāli Canon with a particular focus on Pāli language and the Abhidhamma. He then moved to Sri Lanka, where he has been based for the past nine years, completing his Master’s and PhD in Pāli and Buddhist Philosophy at the University of Kelaniya, with research emphasizing the integration of Early Buddhist teachings with Abhidhamma, culminating in his doctoral dissertation on the Paṭṭhāna.
Oliver works as a visiting lecturer at several universities in Sri Lanka, including the Post Graduate Institute of Pāli and Buddhist Studies (University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka). He has extensive experience teaching Pāli, Early Buddhist teachings, and Abhidhamma to undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students, as well as to international online learners from diverse backgrounds. His teaching combines scholarly precision with a grounded, practice-informed understanding of the Dhamma.
