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Glossary: Titles & Honorifics

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Tibetan Buddhist Titles and Ranks: (bod lugs nang pa sangs rgyas pa'i go gnas kyi ming dang rim pa)

Buddhist General Terms
Lay Terms
Monastic Terms (Separate Glossary Page)
Mahayana Buddhism
Vajrayana: Tantric Terms
Incarnation & Lineage
General Tibetan Honorific Titles & References
Female Terms & Titles
Miscellaneous Titles




Buddhist General Terms (spyi btang gi nang pa)

- Abbot, Khenpo, Upadhyaya (mkhan po): an abbot is the elected or appointed head of a monastery. To qualify they must have received full monastic ordination (bhikshu) and have been a bhikshu for ten years. In modern times the title of 'Khenpo' is sometimes given to graduates of monastic colleges regardless of their individual standing with the vinaya monastic code.

- Academic Monk, Geshe, Spiritual Friend (kalyanamitra, dge ba'i bshes gnyen): originally a term of endearment with reference to a teacher, lay or monastic. In later times the term 'geshe' refers to a monastic graduate of a college belonging to a monastery. The term was traditionally used by the Kadam Tradition followed by the Gelug Tradition.

- Dharma Practitioner, Chopa (chos pa): an individual that subscribes to the beliefs and practices of the Buddhist religion.

- Incarnation/Nirmanakaya, Trulku (sprul sku): a technical designation regardless of lay or monastic standing. 'Trulku' refers to an individual, male or female, that is recognized by an institution, 'labrang, monastery, or an influential teacher, as the incarnation of a previously deceased individual.

- Insider, Nangpa (nang pa): a colloquial Tibetan term referring to Buddhist 'insider' when used by a Buddhist or a Bon 'insider' when used by a Bon practitioner. It is an alternate term intended to refer to those individuals belonging to a particular religion or tradition. It is not a Buddhist technical term.

- Layman, Mikya (mi skya): also known as a male householder, a term referring to non-monastic male figures. A layman is a male that does not have or hold the ordination (vows) of a novice or fully ordained monk according to the Buddhist vinaya system.

- Layman or laywoman, Kyabo, Kyamo (skya pho/skya mo): see Layman above.

- Married Man/woman, Khyimpa/khyimpamo (khyim pa/khyim pa mo): see Layman and Laywoman above.

- Monk, Draba (grwa pa, btsun pa, rab byung): a monk is a male individual who has received the ordination of a novice Buddhist monk according to the vinaya. Following this level, a novice monk (shramanera) is eligible to receive the final ordination of a full monk (bhikshu). Both levels are referred to in general as a monk (rab byung). The word kushog (sku gzhogs) is a common form of address when speaking to a monk.

- Nun/Aunt, Ani/Tsunma (a ni, btsun ma): a female Buddhist practitioner that is attired in the garb of a nun and conducts herself as a nun, either living in a family home, monastery or hermitage. Buddhist nuns in the Himalayan and Tibetan traditions have either the upasika (lay vows) or shramanera (novice nuns vows).

- Practitioner, Nyamlenpa (practitioner) (nyams len pa): an individual that not only subscribes to the Buddhist faith but is actively engaged in regular or routine rituals and activities.

- Precious One, Rinpoche (precious one) (Mani) (rin po che): an honorific title without any formal or hierarchical status. It can be used with reference to lay or monastic teachers. The term is generally used for males and rarely for females.

- Student, Loma (shishya) (slob ma): any lay or monastic student of a teacher if either secular or religious subjects.

- Servant/attendant, Shabji (zhabs phyi): a lay or monastic attendant to a teacher, incarnate Lama, or an aristocrat.

- Second Buddha: an epithet, term of endearment for an educated or kindly teacher. The term is commonly used with reference to Padmasambhava, Sakya Pandita, Tsongkapa and others. (Read more).

- Teacher, Gegan (dge rgan): a lay or monk teacher with extensive or limited training or experience. The term can be used with reference to a teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Teacher, Lama (Guru) (bla ma): male or female, lay or monk teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Translator, Lotsawa (lo tswa ba, skyad sgyur): referring to the early translators of the first and second disseminations of Buddhism in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions. The translators, lay or monastic, primarily translated from Sanskrit and into the Tibetan language.




Lay Terms (from the Vinaya & Tibetan Usage)

- Layman, Mikya (mi skya): also known as a male householder, a term referring to non-monastic male figures. A layman is a male that does not have or hold the ordination (vows) of a novice or fully ordained monk according to the Buddhist vinaya system.

- Layman or Woman, Kyabo, Kyamo (skya pho/skya mo): see Layman and Laywoman above.

- Married Man/woman, Khyimpa/khyimpamo (khyim pa/khyim pa mo): see Layman and Laywoman above.

- Dharma Practitioner, Chopa (chos pa): an individual that subscribes to the beliefs and practices of the Buddhist religion.

- Insider, Nangpa (nang pa): a colloquial Tibetan term referring to Buddhist 'insider' when used by a Buddhist or a Bon 'insider' when used by a Bon practitioner. It is an alternate term intended to refer to those individuals belonging to a particular religion or tradition. It is not a Buddhist technical term.

- Practitioner, Nyamlenpa (practitioner) (nyams len pa): an individual that not only subscribes to the Buddhist faith but is actively engaged in regular or routine rituals and activities.

- Teacher, Gegan (dge rgan): a lay or monk teacher with extensive or limited training or experience. The term can be used with reference to a teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Upasaka/upasika (male/female lay ordination) (dge bsyan, dge bsnyen ma): the most basic of formal levels of Buddhist ethics. Upasaka is a level of status achieved through an ordination ritual. There are typically five vows associated with the ordination. At least one of the vows must be received to constitute the receiving if the upasaka ordination. The five vows are the same for both males and females.

- Upasaka, Genyen (who keeps the threefold refuge) skyabs gsum 'dzin pa'i dge bsnyen): referring to the going for refuge and keeping the vows of refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as a basis for keeping any of the five, or all five, of the upasaka vows.

- Upasaka, Genyen (who keeps the five vows) (yongs rdzogs dge bsnyen): an individual that keeps all five of the upasaka vows: not to kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, and refrain from alcohol.




Mahayana Buddhism (theg pa chen po)

- Bodhisattva Vow Holder (lay or monk) (byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa) (skya pho/mo 'am grwa btsun) (all of the monks and lay vow holders) (byang sems sdom 'dzin pa)

- Spiritual Friend, Academic Monk, Geshe (kalyanamitra) (dge ba'i bshes gnyen): originally a term of endearment with reference to a teacher, lay or monastic. In later times the term 'geshe' refers to a monastic graduate of a college belonging to a monastery. The term was traditionally used by the Kadam followed by the Gelug Tradition. In the 20th century the Sakya School began to use the title of Geshe and to a limited degree some Nyingma and Kagyu colleges although both of the latter still preferring to use the term 'khenpo.' In the past the Sakya college graduates were known by the title of 'lharampa.' There wee two types of 'lharampa' degres - 'parchin' (Prajnaparamita)and 'tsema' (logic).

- Lharampa (lha rams pa): a title for graduates of academic Buddhist studies, usually with reference to monastics.

- Pandita (mkhas pa): a title derived from Sanskrit language referring to a great scholar. The title is often reserved for monastic scholars.

- Great Scholar, Maha Pandita, Panchen (mkhas pa chen po) (maha pandita): a great scholar, someone versed in both the worldly sciences and the Dharma texts of ethics, philosophy and Tantra.

- Acharya, Lobpon (slob dpon): a title acknowledging an Indian academic level of accomplishment also translated and used in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions.




Vajrayana Buddhism & Tibetan Religious Culture: Tantric Terms & Designations. (rdo rje theg pa dang bod kyi chos lugs kyi rig gzhung) (including all of the lay and monk vow holders)

- Teacher, Lama (Guru) (bla ma): male or female, lay or monk teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Precious One, Rinpoche (Mani, rin po che): an honorific title without any formal or hierarchical status. It can be used with reference to lay or monastic teachers. The term is generally used for males and rarely for females.

- Yogi, Naljorpa (rnal 'byor pa, yogi): a male practitioner of yoga, either a layman or monk. In Tibetan Buddhism the Term 'yogi' is just another word for a practitioner.

- Mantra Practitioner, Ngagpa, Mantradharin (mantrin, sngags pa): a practitioner of 'mantra' which means Mantrayana, synonymous with The word Vajrayana. There are three general meanings for the term 'ngagpa'. The first refers to all practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism, male and female. The second meaning refers to the male heirs in a hereditary line descending from the twenty-five principal, and other, disciples of Padmasambhava. These heirs are also known as 'ngagpa'. The third meaning refers to an 'order' of lay practitioners that take on additional vows such as 'not to cut the hair', etc. This order arose very late out and is related to the Kagyu and Nyingma Traditions.

- Vajra Acharya, Dorje Lobpon (le kyi dorje lobpon (chopen), chag gya dorje lobpon) vajra acharya, mudra Acharya (rdo rje slob dpon):

- Ngagrampa (sngags rams pa): a title referring to a student having graduated from a Buddhist college with a Tantric (Vajrayana) degree.

- Awadhutipa (avadhutipa): a mendicant Buddhist yogi of India, without possessions, homeless and free of society.

- Chatralwa, Kushali (bya bral ba): an impoverished mendicant that has renounced all material possessions.

- Accomplished One, Drubpa/drubtob (siddha) (grub pa): generally referring to someone accomplished in Tantra or yoga.

- Greatly Accomplished One, Drubchen (mahasiddha) (grub chen): referring originally to the Eighty-four Great Mahasiddhas.

- Drubpon (sgrub dpon):

- Ritual Master, Chopon (chos dpon):

- Meditator, Gompa (sgom pa): someone who spends a great deal of time in mediation, or retreat.

- Great Meditator, Gomchen (sgom chen): an individual acknowledged as an experienced and accomplished meditator.

- Retreatant, Sampa (mtshams pa): an individual that has spent time in a retreat setting or continues to spend a significant amount of time in retreat.

- Realized One, Togden (rtogs ldan): primarily used as a Drugpa Kagyu and Nyingma term for accomplished yogis of the tradition.

- Treasure Revealer, Terton (gter ston): a term belonging to the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, referring predominantly to a male individual, that is predestined to locate hidden religious texts, objects, or religious teachings.




Incarnation & Lineage

- Teacher, Lama (Guru) (bla ma): male or female, lay or monk teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Incarnation/Nirmanakaya, Trulku (sprul sku): a technical term referring to a recognized reincarnation of a past teacher. The honorific word 'trulku' refers to the form body of a Buddha, implying that all reincarnated teachers are actually manifestations or emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, or some other Buddha.

- Again Returner, Yangsi (punarbhava) (yang srid): a colloquial term for a recognized reincarnation (trulku) of a deceased teacher.

- Holy Incarnate Being, Kyechen Dampa (skyes chen dam pa): an honorific title for a recognized reincarnation (trulku) of a previously deceased teacher.

- Lineage Holder, Lagyupa (lama gyudpa, lagyu) (bla ma brgyud pa): an individual designated as the current or subsequent lineage holder.

- Dungyud, Dungsey (vanshadharaputra, gdung rgyud, gdung sras): a lineal and family line designation, the son of a religious teacher, or within the family line of hereditary teachers. The term 'dungyud' is common in the Sakya and older Nyingma Traditions.

- Abbatial Heir, Shabdrung (charansamip, zhabs drung): a young monk designated to be a future abbot within a specific institution. Traditionally the 'shabdrung' belonged to the same family line as the designating abbot.

- Regent, Gyaltsab (kumar, rgyal tshab): a designated heir, or an official title and position filled when needed by a worthy monk or lay student.

- Lama and Trulku, Latrul (bla sprul): conveying the idea that an individual is a great teacher and a recognized incarnation of a teacher of the past.

- Great Throne, Trichen (khri dzin): a title designating the person who is the highest authority and teacher of a particular religious tradition.

- Throne Holder, Tridzin (khri 'dzin): a title designating the person who is the highest authority and teacher of a particular religious tradition.

- Throne Person, Tripa (khri pa): a title, generally referring to monastics, designating the abbot who holds the highest position and seat in a monastery.




General Tibetan Honorific Titles & References (Male Terms)

- Teacher, Lama (Guru) (bla ma): male or female, lay or monk teacher of secular or religious subjects.

- Superior Teacher, Lama Gongma (bla ma gong ma): spiritual forefathers.

- Accomplished Teacher, Lama Drubchen (bla ma grub chen): an accomplished lama.

- Glorious Teacher, Lama Dampa (bla ma dam pa): an honorific title for a holy and revered teacher.

- Great Teacher, Lachen (bla chen): referring to a great teacher, a grand master.

- Dharma Master, or Lord of Dharma, Choje (chos rje): an honorific title referring to a teacher that has mastered all aspects of the Buddha Dharma.

- Superior One, Gongma (Uttara) (gong ma): a generic title for all of the Khon Lamas of the Sakya Tradition.

- Lord of Refuge, Khyabgon (skyabs mgon): an honorific title used for senior teachers well accomplished in scholarship and experience. It is a common title for the Sakya Tridzins.

- Victorious Lord, Gyalwang (rgyal dbang) (Jinendra): an honorific term used primarily by teachers of the Nyingma and Karma Kagyu Traditions.

- Lord of Refuge, Kyabje (skyabs rje): an honorific title used for senior teachers well accomplished in scholarship and experience.

- Wish-fulfilling Jewel, Yishin Norbu (yid bzhin nor bu): a term of endearment used for various Tibetan teachers such as the Dalai Lama, Karmapa, etc.

- Lord Precious One, Je Rinpoche (rje rin po che): the official title of the head of the Drugpa Kagyu Tradition of Bhutan.

- Omniscient One, Kunkhyen (kun mkhyen): literally meaning 'all knowing' it is an honorific generally applied to the greatest of monastic scholars.

- Superior One/Reverend, Jetsun (bhattaraka) (rje btsun): an honorific term for male figures who generally are layman rather than monastics.

- Shabdrung (in front of a great lama, zhabs drung): a religious heir designate, referring to a male heir. In earlier times the 'shabdrung' was generally related by family line.

- Father and Son/s, Yabse (yab sras): a compound term referring to a master teacher and principal students.

- Heart Son, Tugse (thugs sras): a term more often used in the Drugpa Kagyu and Nyingma Traditions referring to the principal student of an important lineage holder/teacher.

- Incomparable One, Nyamme (mnyam med): an honorific term for an accomplished practitioner without equal.

- King who takes renunciate vows, Lhatsun (lha btsun):

- Prince/divine prince, Lhase (lha sras):

- Master and Practitioner, Lama Chopa (bla ma chos pa):

- Chief Lord Chamberlain, Dronyer Chenmo (mgron gnyer chen mo):

- Repa, Cotton Clad: a lay practitioner that wears a simple cotton garment in the yogi tradition of Milarepa and Rechungpa.

- White Robed One, Gokarchan (gos dkar can): a Tantric Layman that wears white robes descending from the tradition of Milarepa and Rechungpa.




Female Terms & Titles

- Dakini, Kandroma (mkha' 'gro ma): named for the semi-wrathful female deities of the Morher Tantras, dakini is an honorific term applied to accomplished female Tantric practitioners and sometimes to the consort of a Nyingma 'Terton'.

- Yogini, Naljorma (rnal 'byor ma): referring to an accomplished female Tantric practitioner, specifically referring to yoga.

- Lady, Dagmo: Lady of the House, mistress, generally a title for the wife of any of the Sakya 'Khon' Lamas. The title is also used by others.

- Superior One, Jetsunma (bhattarika, rje btsun ma): both an honorific term for a high born woman or for an accomplished practitioner.

- Great Mistress/consort/princess, Lhacham (lha lcam): commonly used for a high born woman of aristocratic class, the title is sometimes used with reference to an accomplished female practitioner.

- Secret Consort, Sangyum (gsang yum): a term often used with reference to the consort of a Nyingma 'Terton'.

- Mother Consort/Great Mother, Mayum (ma yum): a term of endearment for a mature practitioner.

- Upasika, Genyenma, Laywomen (dge bsnyen ma): a Buddhist woman that maintains one or all of the five upasaka lay vows of the vinaya.

- Nun/Aunt, Ani/Tsunma (a ni, btsun ma): a female Buddhist practitioner that is often, but not always, attired in the garb of a nun and conducts herself as a nun, either living in a family home, monastery or hermitage. Buddhist nuns in the Himalayan and Tibetan traditions have either the upasika (lay vows) or shramanera (novice nuns vows).

- Novitiate Nun, Getsulma (Shramanerika, dge tshul ma): the first level of monastic ordination for women.

- Nun, Gelobma, Shikshamana (dge slob ma): an intermediate level of ordination for women that is between shramanera and bhikshuni (dge tshul ma and gelong ma).

- Nun, Gelongma (Bhikshuni, dge slong ma): a fully ordained Buddhist nun.

- Abbess, Khenmo, Upadhyayani (Mkhan mo): an abbess is the elected or appointed head of a monastery. To qualify she must have received full monastic ordination (bhikshuni) and have been a bhikshuni for ten years. In modern times the title of 'Khenmo' is sometimes given to senior nuns or graduates of monastic colleges regardless of their individual standing within the vinaya monastic code.

- Great Nun, Banchenmo (ban chen mo): a well respected or accomplished nun.




Miscellaneous Titles

- Grandfather, Amcho (a mchod): monk or lay person who does ceremonies for the dead.

- Doctor, Lhaje, Manpa, Amche (lha rje, sman pa, em rje): typically a male occupation, but not exclusively. Doctors can also be monastic figures.

- Diviner, Mopa (mo pa/pra pa): an occupation for both male and female, lay and monastic. Divination practices can be Buddhist, Hindu, Bon and other, meaning not easily identified with a specific major tradition.

- Astrologer, Tsipa (rtsis pa): typically a male occupation of either a layman or a monastic.

- Traveller to the Other Side, Delog (rde log, 'das log): a shamanistic-like activity of travelling to the underworld, or into a death-like experience. There are many stories, both written and oral, describing women 'delog' practitioners.




Jeff Watt & Karma Gellek, 8-2012 [updated 4-2013]