What do you call a buddist priest?

Answer 1

There are two difficulties with this question. The first being that Buddhism's leaders are only called priests by westerners who attempt to reconcile their own religious traditions with the Buddhist traditions. This includes the need to have a priestly class that serves a god (gods not being a Buddhist tradition). The second is that titles for Buddhist leaders/priests/teachers/masters vary by the sect they represent and the language they speak (there is no "Buddhist" standard language). Typical examples are lama, rinpoche, sensei and roshi. Sometimes the English equivalents such as brother, abbot, etc. are used to identify specific positions. Some non-religious but learned people are addressed as "venerable" to indicate their status.

Answer 2

They are monks or bhikkus.

In Thailand, Sri Lanka they largely function as priests - conducting ceremonies for the people. In the West and still to an extent in the East there are monks who have a serious meditation practise. They do not function like Western Christian priests but more like Christian monks.

Answer 3

In Tibet they are known as LAMA.

Answer 4

no but they have monks