Skip to content
Category

Tibetan Buddhist titles

page 1
Dalai Lama
Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher
Panchen Lama
priest in Tibetan Buddhism
Tulku
A tulku (, also tülku, trulku) is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibetan Buddhism, embodying the concept of enlightened beings taking corporeal forms to continue the lineage of specific teachings. "Tulku" is a transcription of the Tibetan སྤྲུལ་སྐུ ("sprul sku"), which originally referred to an emperor or ruler taking human form on Earth, signifying a divine incarnation. Over time, it evolved within Tibetan Buddhism to denote the corp
Karmapa
right|thumb|Karmapa's flag
Rinpoche
Rinpoche, also spelled Rimpoche (), is an honorific term used in the Tibetan language. It literally means "precious one", and may refer to a person, place, or thing—like the words "gem" or "jewel" (Sanskrit: Ratna).
Shamarpa
thumb|260px|The 14th Shamarpa teaching
geshe
Geshe (, short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen, "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. kalyāņamitra) or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, but is also awarded in the Sakya and Bön traditions. The equivalent geshema'' degree is awarded to women.
Ganden Tripa
title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism
Je Khenpo
senior religious hierarch of Bhutan
lotsawa
thumb|Sakyasri and Thropu Lotsawa of the Dagpo Kagyu#Dagpo Kagyu Lineages|Trophu Kagyu Lotsawa () is a Tibetan title used to refer to the Nyingma's Ancient Translation School of 108 Tibetan translators, which include Vairotsana, Rinchen Zangpo, Marpa Lotsawa, Tropu Lotsawa Jampa Pel and many others. They worked alongside Indian scholars, or panditas, to prepare the first translation into the Tibetan language of the Kangyur and Tengyur of the Buddhist Canon, from original texts written in Pali, Sanskrit, Classical Chinese, Buddihist Hybrid Sanskrit and other Asian languages. Working under the
Gyalwang Drukpa
title in Buddhism
Tai Situpa
Buddhist Lama
Shabdrung
title used when referring to or addressing great lamas in Tibet, particularly those who held a hereditary lineage
khenpo
The term khenpo (Tib. མཁན་པོ། mkhen po), or khenmo (in the feminine) is a degree for higher Buddhist studies given in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, the title is awarded usually after a period of 13 years of intensive study after secondary school. It may roughly translate to either a bachelor's degree, or nowadays more likely to a terminal degree in Buddhist Studies equivalent to a PhD or MPhil. The degree is awarded to students who can publicly defend their erudition and mastery in at least five subjects of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, namely Prajñāpāramitā, Madhyama
Ngagpa
thumb|right|265px|Milarepa, wearing the distinctive white shawl (zen) of a ngakpa
Khambo lama
Buddhist religious title in Mongolia and Russia
Kushok Bakula Rinpoche
tibetan Buddhist tulku lineage
Tatsag
The Tatsag or Tatsak (Wylie: rTa-tshag) lineage is a Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation lineage whose first member was Baso Chokyi Gyaltsen (1402–73). Since 1794 the Tatsag has been the owner of the Kundeling Monastery in Lhasa. There has been some controversy over the representative of the lineage in recent years.
emperor Mañjuśrī
noble title
Dob-dob
thumb|right|Two dob-dobs at Tibetan New Year|Lhasa's New Year celebration (Losar), 1938 A dob-dob ( or in some sources ldab ldob) is a member of a type of Tibetan Buddhist monk fraternity that existed in Gelug monasteries in Tibet such as Sera Monastery and are reported to still exist in Gelug monasteries today, although possibly in a somewhat altered form. The status of dob-dobs tended to be somewhat ambiguous and they were generally the less academic monks who had an interest in sports, fighting and other "worldly" matters.