lamas

Lamas are spiritual teachers in Tibetan Buddhism. The term, from the Tibetan bla-ma, is a title used for respected teachers and lineages across several schools. In practice, "lama" can designate both a monastic teacher and a lay teacher who provides guidance and instruction.

Responsibilities of lamas include teaching philosophy and meditation, performing ceremonies, guiding students, and preserving doctrinal lineages. Lamas may lead monasteries, supervise rituals, and mentor lamas-in-training. The most prominent lamas are often revered figures within their communities and may hold leadership roles within monasteries or orders.

In Tibetan Buddhism, many lamas are tulkus, reincarnate lamas chosen to continue a line of spiritual leadership. This system produces well-known figures such as the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa. Not all lamas are tulkus; some are non-reincarnate scholars or practitioners who earn recognition through learning, realization, and service. The title rinpoche is applied to particularly respected lamas, often as a mark of reverence or to indicate their status as a reincarnate teacher.

Geographically, lamas have been central to the religious life of Tibet, Bhutan, parts of Nepal, Ladakh, Sikkim, Mongolia, and other Himalayan regions, with a global diaspora in Buddhist centers in Asia, Europe, and North America. They contribute to education, social welfare, and cultural preservation in addition to spiritual guidance.

The term is distinct from "llama," the South American animal, though the words are homographs in English. Lamas as a scholarly and religious class have a long historical tradition dating back to early Buddhist monastic institutions in the Tibetan world.