(Tibetan བླ་མ་ bla-ma; "chief" or "high priest"; Sanskrit: guru) A title for a teacher of the Dharma. It is composed of "La," which refers to the universal binding cosmic energy that lies at the base of all existence. "Ma" is a universal term for the Divine Mother. A Lama is the one who is there to assist students with love and with compassion, as a reflection or as a vehicle of that love of the Divine Mother, the cosmic mother.