| Ram Shankar Tripathi | |
| Birth Date: | 15 October 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Sodalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Occupation: | Scholar of Buddhism, Sanskrit, Pali |
| Awards: | Padma Shri |
Ram Shankar Tripathi (15 October 1929 - 18 February 2019) was an Indian scholar of Buddhism, editor and author of many texts focusing on Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist Tantra. Partly inspired by Jagannath Upadhyaya, Ram Shankar Tripathi had been instrumental in reviving the study of Buddhist texts among Sanskritists in India and abroad, having taught a vast number of scholars from different parts of the world, and through a long-lasting association with traditional Buddhist scholars, from Tibet, Burma and elsewhere. Much of the important editorial work from the CUTS (former CIHTS) in Sarnath was encouraged and supported by Ram Shankar Tripathi's guidance; several prominent Tibetan Lamas, as well as a good number of contemporary Buddhologists, had studied with him.
He was the former Dean of the Faculty of Śabdavidyā at the Central University of Tibetan Studies.[1] He served as the Head of the Department of Bauddhadarśana at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.[2] He is also associated with the Savitribai Phule Pune University, where he was a visiting faculty of Pali and Buddhist Studies.[3] He was the author of several books in Hindi and Sanskrit, including Sautrāntikadarśanam,[4] and edited Dalai Lama's The Path to Tranquility: Daily Meditations,[5] among others.[6] Hevajratantram: With Muktāvalī Pañjikā of Mahāpaṇḍitācārya Ratnākaraśānti[7] and Jainavidyā evaṃ Prākr̥ta[8] are two of his other notable works. His most recent publication is a Sanskrit commentary on the Pramāṇavārttika, Chapter I, offering a comprehensive guide to Dharmakīrti's difficult verses, and being more accessible than the ancient commentaries.
The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Literature and Education.[9]
On 18 February 2019, he died at the age of 90.[10]