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Dalai Lama

(däl ī′ lä′mə)

the traditional high priest of Lamaism

Origin: Mongolian dalai, ocean + blama: see lama

See Dalai Lama in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

The traditional governmental ruler and highest priest of the dominant sect of Buddhism in Tibet and Mongolia, understood by Tibetans to be the living incarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion.

Origin:

Origin: Tibetan

Origin: : Mongolian dalai, ocean

Origin: + Tibetan bla-ma, monk (so called because he is known as the ocean of compassion); see lama

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