bühler was born to rev. johann g. bühler in borstel, hanover, attended grammar school in hanover, where he mastered greek and latin, then university as a student of theology and philosophy at göttingen, where he studied classical philology, sanskrit, zend, persian, armenian, and arabic. in 1858 he received his doctorate in eastern languages and archaeology; his thesis explored the suffix "-tês" in greek grammar. that same year he went to paris to study sanskrit manuscripts, and in 1859 onwards to london, where he remained until october 1862. this time was used mainly for the study of the vedic manuscripts at the india office and the bodleian library at oxford university. while in england, bühler was first a private teacher and later (from may 1861) assistant to the queen's librarian in windsor castle.