Vajracharya
Vajrayana Buddhist priest among the Newar communities of Nepal

A vajrācārya (vajra + acharya, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སློབ་དཔོན་, dorje lopön, Wyl. rdo rje slob dpon, Chinese: 金剛阿闍梨, pinyin: jīngāng āshélì; kanji: 金剛阿闍梨, rōmanji: kongō ajari) (alternatively, Chinese: 金剛上師, pinyin: jīngāng shàngshī) is a Vajrayana Buddhist master, guru or priest. It is a general term for a tantric master in Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, including Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, Chan Buddhism, Shingon, Bhutanese Buddhism, Newar Buddhism.
Tibetan Buddhism
Dorje Lopön is a title given to high-level religious leaders who preside over Tibetan tantric practice. Dorje is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanskrit vajra and therefore the term appears frequently in Tibetan terminology relating to Vajrayana Buddhism.
A Dorje Lopön is usually well educated and trained in tantric practice, and is therefore a well respected figure. They might be the heads of monasteries or spiritual communities.
Newar Buddhism
Bajracharyas are a married priestly class among the Newar communities of Nepal. They are knowledgeable in Newar Buddhist Vajrayana practices and rituals. They are also commonly called guru-ju or gu-bhaju (a short form for guru bhaju) which are Nepal Bhasa terms related to the Sanskrit term guru, and translate as "teacher" or "priest".
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