How do you choose a Tibetan name?
Tibetans have a certain pattern in choosing names, and generally speaking, great attention is paid to giving names a deep meaning. When they choose a name for their child, they often have to seriously consider and discuss it, and some even ask the living Buddha or the great monk to name it, thinking that such a name is auspicious and wishful, which can bring good luck to people, eliminate disasters and avoid difficulties, and turn evil into good fortune.
The naming of Tibetan names is generally undertaken by living Buddhas, lamas, or respected elders and parents in the family. Many Tibetans emphasize the relationship between the person and themselves when they ask someone to name them, believing that the closer the person is to their own family, the more they know themselves, and therefore the more auspicious the name is.
Tibetan names are generally made up of two to four characters. Because Tibetans believe in Buddhism, many names are related to Buddhist terms, such as "Danpa", "Gyaltsen", "Dolma" and so on.
It is often preceded by the name of a person that indicates a family, region or village. These names often reflect a certain historical background, such as "Nima" for the sun and "Dawa" for the moon, so "Nima" or "Dawa" in a person's name often means that the person was born in the day or night.
The difference between men and women in Tibetan names is taken as an example of Tashi and Dolma: in Tibetan, Tashi means auspicious, and generally those who are called Tashi are boys. Dolma means Tara, and it is generally called Dolma for girls.
Tibetans have many duplicate names, and people often distinguish them by their appearance, personality traits, and praise words, such as "Yangjin Zhuoma", "Quniwangmu", "Yuden Daji" ("big" and "small" are added to distinguish them) and so on.
To show devotion to Buddhism or respect for someone, there are also sutra names or someone's name that are preceded or followed by a name. For example, "Lamao Caidan", "Caidan" means a person who learns the scriptures, which means that this person is a person who learns the scriptures.
For historical and religious reasons, Tibetans believe that the human soul is immortal and can be reborn. They divide the process of rebirth after death into three stages: the first stage is called "cheva", which is the period of separation of the soul and body;The second stage is called "chapa" and is the stage of the soul in "bardo";The third stage is called "rebirth," which is the period when the soul is put into a new body. In order for a person's soul to be reborn, every living person must have at least one sutra (lama) and a transcendent (aka). Therefore, some Tibetans put the name of a sutra teacher (lama) or a transcendent person (aka) in front of their own names or before the names given by their parents, such as "Dorje" in "Dorje Tashi" which means Vajra, because Vajra has an incorruptible body, and the word Vajra in front of the name can play a role in protecting the soul.
There are also some Tibetans who, after worshipping a certain sacred mountain, a certain holy place, or seeing a certain great living Buddha, often change their names to one of the names of such and such a sacred mountain, such and such a holy place, or such and such a great living Buddha, in order to commemorate these events, and they believe that doing so can bring them good fortune.
Tibetan names are not only rich and colorful, but also have profound cultural connotations and strong religious colors. Search Topic Full Time Challenge December