Buddhists, a question?

Question

I apologize for not knowing this, but who exactly is the Dalai Lama supposed to be? I have heard that he is the reincarnated B*ddha **, but didn't B*ddha reach Enlightenment, meaning he is no longer reincarnated? If he is not the reincarnated B*ddha, who is he? Is he just a great leader much like the Pope?

Peace

**I use a star not to be disrespectful but because in my religion I am not to say or write the name of a foreign idol or god, I don't mean any offense by it.

never said the B*ddha was a god. I said idol or god.

Answer 1

i guess he is similar to the Christan pope. there are things called lamas in Buddhist society. the lama is equivalent to a high priest. anyway the dalai lama is the most influential and important lama in Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. He is the 14th life of his cycle, meaning he died and was reincarnated 14 times. there are figures that track his lineage back from the 15th century. although there is much speculation he is in fact not a reincarnation of "the buddha" but he is enlightened similar to the buddha. he took a vow as with all Buddhists to not become enlightened untill all beings in the universe are free from samsara. it may take a long time lol. if you want to know who he really is, basically a foremost figure in the Tibetan religion.

Answer 2

First, Buddha is not a God. There are statues of him, but there are also statues of Napoleon, George Washington, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Mendelssohn.

Second, the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, a smallish division of Buddhism. He is not the reincarnation of Gautama Siddhartha, The Buddha. He is, however, reputed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the 14th reincarnation of the first Dalai Lama. Comparing him to the Pope is somewhat accurate, although he has no such authority to speak for Buddhists. Buddhists are much too independent for that.

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Answer 3

The 14th Dalai Lama is another incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama... A Dalai Lama is a manifestation of a bodhisattva - (buddha of compassion) so yes, in a sense as with every other sentient being, the Dalai Lama has the Buddha within. But remember, a Buddha is not a name. Siddhartha was A buddha, there have been others.
Hope this helps

Answer 4

Dalai Lama is a regular human being. : )

He is the spiritual leader for his followers.

Answer 5

Kble is right