Heinrich Dumoulin (1905-1995) was a German Jesuit priest, theologian, and influential scholar of Zen Buddhism. He spent a significant portion of his life in Japan, where he was a professor of philosophy and history at Sophia University in Tokyo. Dumoulin also founded the university's Institute for Oriental Religions and was the inaugural director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture.

His academic career was dedicated to understanding and disseminating knowledge of Zen Buddhism to a Western audience. Encouraged by Ruth Fuller Sasaki, he authored numerous books on the subject, with his seminal "Zen Buddhism: A History" being a key contribution. Dumoulin's extensive writings explored the historical development and philosophical underpinnings of Zen. He passed away in Tokyo at the age of 90, leaving a significant legacy as a leading interpreter of Zen for the West.

Born in Germany in 1905, Heinrich Dumoulin pursued his philosophical studies in Holland and France, earning a doctorate in 1929. He entered the Jesuit order and was ordained a priest in 1933. In 1935, he was sent to Japan, where his missionary work led him to deeply engage with Shinto and Buddhism. He became a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, teaching philosophy and history, and later held Professor Emeritus status. Dumoulin was instrumental in establishing the Institute for Oriental Religions at Sophia University and served as the first director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture.

Dumoulin is widely recognized for his extensive scholarship on Zen Buddhism. He authored several significant books detailing its history and core themes, a path he was encouraged to pursue by American Buddhist scholar Ruth Fuller Sasaki. His work, particularly "Zen Buddhism: A History," translated from German, provided Western readers with in-depth analyses of Zen's origins and evolution, especially in India, China, and Japan. His academic contributions were acknowledged with a special issue of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies dedicated to him and his work, highlighting his position as a foremost exponent of Zen history to the West.