A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity.

If the student doesn't have a relationship with the monastic teacher and the ceremony is a public one with a congregation present, their new name will tend to reflect the lineage/tradition rather than the individual person. When it is given by a monastic who knows the disciple, however, the name is often tailor-made.

Dharma names are generally given in the language of the particular sangha where the name is bestowed. People in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism are often given the name Karma.

In Burmese Buddhism, Dharma names (bwe) are in Pali and chosen by the head monk of the monastery in which one is ordained. The traditional Burmese naming system, in which the monastic's day of birth stipulates the first letter of one's name, is used to select the name.

Sheng Yen (聖嚴; Pinyin: Shèngyán, birth name Zhang Baokang, 張保康) (December 4, 1930 – February 3, 2009) was a Buddhist monk, a religious scholar, and one of the mainstream teachers of Chinese Chan Buddhism. He was the 57th generational descendant of Linji in the Linji (Japanese: Rinzai) School and a 3rd generational descendant of Master Hsu Yun. In the Caodong (Japanese: Sōtō) lineage, Sheng Yen was the 52nd generational descendant of Master Dongshan (807-869), and the direct descendant of Master Dongchu (1908–1977).

Sheng Yen was the founder of the Dharma Drum Mountain, a Buddhist organization based in Taiwan. During his time in Taiwan, Sheng Yen was well known as one of the progressive Buddhist teachers who sought to teach Buddhism in a modern and Western-influenced world. In Taiwan, he was one of four prominent modern Buddhist masters, along with Masters Hsing Yun, Cheng Yen and Wei Chueh. In 2000 he was one of the keynote speakers in the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held in the United Nations.

Shinzen Young (真善, Shinzen^?) is an American meditation teacher. He leads residential meditation retreats for students interested in learning the Vipassana (mindfulness) tradition of Buddhism. Although Vipassana is traditionally a Theravada technique, Shinzen was originally ordained in Japan as a monk in the Shingon (Japanese Vajrayana) tradition. He has studied and practiced extensively in other traditions, including Zen and Native American traditions.

He frequently uses concepts from mathematics as a metaphor to illustrate the abstract concepts of meditation. As a result, his teachings tend to be popular among academics and professionals. His interest in integrating meditation with scientific paradigms has led to collaborations with neuroscientists at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is working on various ways to bring a secular mindfulness practice to a wider audience, using revamped terminology and techniques and automated expert systems.

Shinzen was born Steve Young in Los Angeles, California. He had a strong interest in Japanese language and Asian culture in high school, which led to him living as an exchange student in Japan. There he was exposed to Buddhism and Buddhist teachers, which eventually led him to become a monk.

Donald Brian "Buck Dharma" Roeser (born November 12, 1947, On Long Island, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and sang the lead vocal on many of the band's best-known hits, including "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla", and "Burnin' for You" (the last originally intended for Roeser's solo album.)

The nickname came from an idea from the band's manager, Sandy Pearlman, who envisioned each member of the band having an unusual stage name; Roeser was the only one who took to the idea, and his was the only name that stuck.

Roeser is notable for his use of the Gibson SG and numerous custom Steinberger models. One of his Steinberger guitars has a body carved to look like Swiss cheese (see photo). Dharma calls this guitar his "Cheeseberger".

His other equipment use includes: a Giuliano Balestra Vulcan, a Fender Stratocaster, a St. Blues and custom models built by Rick Kresiak, Harper Guitars and Warren Guitars. Many of his guitars were made by White Plains based custom guitar maker, Guliano.

Pohwa Sunim (born July 15, 1955) is the head monk of the The Young Pyung Sa International Zen Center in South Korea. He is the disciple of Myo Vong who is the Dharma successor of Hye Am. Pohwa Sunim founded the World Zen Fellowship in 1994 which includes the Potomac Zen Sangha, the Patriarchal Zen Society and the Baltimore Zen Center. He is known for his charismatic teaching and direct presentation style. He pioneered the use of “Cyber Zen” (information age technology) to propagate his teachings in the West, including the early use of web sites, user groups, and video tele-conferencing. He produced a series of teaching videos in 2004 called “Zen Dharma Exchange”, which are widely available on the internet. He is a frequent speaker at American universities (Columbia, Georgetown, Naropa University, George Washington, the University of Maryland) and religious gatherings. (1)

Teachings: The focus of his teaching is to learn Buddha's enlightened mind through the practice of the koan, a story or question that cannot be understood by logical thinking but only through intuitive thinking. The focus is on attaining the true nature of all beings directly through intuitive thinking. This mind-to-mind teaching is the core teaching of the Korean Buddhist Chogye Order and is now being spread throughout the world by lineage masters such as Pohwa Sunim. “If you want to know the answer, you must see your ‘original mind’ which is the ‘original mind’ of all sages and all beings.” (2)(3)