Definition

Proper noun: * Dalai Lama: The title for the highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, considered to be the manifestation of Avalokiteśvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion). This is a specific, singular title.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Đạt Lai Lạt Ma thứ 14 hiện đang sống lưu vong. (The 14th Dalai Lama is currently living in exile.)
  • Nhiều Phật tử tôn kính Đạt Lai Lạt Ma. (Many Buddhists revere the Dalai Lama.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is used exclusively as a title for this specific lineage of spiritual leaders. It is not a common noun and is always capitalized.
• The ordinal number (thứ 14, etc.) is used to specify the incarnation.

Variants and Related Words

• Tây Tạng (n): Tibet - the region historically associated with the Dalai Lama.
• Lạt ma (n): Lama - a general title for a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism.
• Tăng đoàn (n): Sangha - the monastic community.
• Phật giáo Tây Tạng (n): Tibetan Buddhism.

Synonyms

• Đức Đạt Lai Lạt Ma: His Holiness the Dalai Lama (a more formal and honorific form).
• Nhân vật lãnh đạo tinh thần Tây Tạng: The spiritual leader of Tibet (a descriptive phrase, not a direct synonym).

Notes on Different Meanings

• Đạt Lai Lạt Ma refers specifically to the title and person holding it in Tibetan Buddhism.
• Tổ Đạt-ma (Bodhidharma) is a completely different historical figure, the founder of Zen (Thiền) Buddhism in China. These two terms should not be confused.

1. (tôn giáo) Dalai Lama
   • tượng Tổ Đạt-ma - chùa Thiên ẩn