Walpola Rahula Thera (1907–1997) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, scholar, and writer. In 1964, he became the professor of history and religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the Western world.
He also once held the position of vice-chancellor at the then Vidyodaya University (currently known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura). He has written extensively about Buddhism in English, French, and Sinhala. He wrote the world-renowned book What the Buddha Taught.
