Dalai Lama

[dah-lahy lah-muh]

noun

1. (formerly) the ruler and chief monk of Tibet, believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and sought for among newborn children after the death of the preceding Dalai Lama.

Dalai Lama

/ ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə /

noun

1. (until 1959) the chief lama and ruler of Tibet

2. born 1935, the 14th holder of this office (1940), who fled to India (1959): Nobel peace prize 1989

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalai Lama¹

From Mongolian, equivalent to dalai “ocean” + lama “a celibate priest”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalai Lama¹

from Mongolian dalai ocean; see _lama

Example Sentences

His published comments did not mention the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been living in exile in India since he fled in 1959.

From BBC

Television screens that were supposed to show several films by the artist - one was about the Dalai Lama - had been switched off.

From BBC

Following their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, they crossed treacherous Himalayan passes and reached India, where they were accepted as refugees on humanitarian grounds and because of shared religious and cultural ties.

From BBC

He described himself as a "spiritual nomad", exploring paths through yoga, Buddhism, and Christian mysticism, and learned from the Dalai Lama - whom he gifted a tartan-pouched hair clipper in 1988.

From BBC

Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists streamed into India's Himalayan town of Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama.

From BBC