gelong means A fully ordained Buddhist monastic observing the entire vinaya. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “gelong” is a great word
A fully ordained Buddhist monk who has taken the complete monastic vows of the vinaya discipline. The word flows from Tibetan དགེ་སློང་ (dge slong), a compound of དགེ (dge, "virtue") and སློང་ (slong, "to desire" or "to request")—thus, one who desires virtue. Unlike the "bhikkhu," its precise Pali counterpart in Theravada lands, or the "genyen," a lay follower holding only five basic vows, the gelong is the anchor of the Vajrayana monastic community, bound by hundreds of rules that sculpt daily existence. He is the maroon shape moving in predawn silence to the prayer hall, the measured breath that recites texts older than the mountains surrounding his monastery, the bowl that receives alms without a word of request—a life shaped not by renunciation alone, but by a profound and formalized longing for the good.
Etymology
From Tibetan དགེ་སློང་ (dge slong).
noun
- A fully ordained Buddhist monastic observing the entire vinaya.