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The Dalai Lama is the title given to an individual who is the spiritual and, sometimes, temporal leader of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide. This person is believed to be the current incarnation of a long line of Tulkus, or Buddhist Masters, who have chosen of their own free will to be reborn to this plane in order that they might continue teaching humanity. A Lama (meaning "Teacher") is a title given to many different ranks of Tibetan Buddhist clergy. The modifier "Dalai" has a rough english translation of "Ocean", which would make the full title "Ocean Teacher", meaning a teacher who is spiritually deep as the ocean.
The current Dalai Lama is the 14th one since 1391.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso%2C_14th_Dalai_Lama
Upon the death of the Dalai Lama a search for the Lama's reincarnation is conducted. Familiarity with the possessions or attributes of the previous Dalai Lama is considered. The search for the reincarnated mindstream typically requires a number of years. The reincarnation is then installed and trained by the other Lamas. |
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