<P> In addition to its use in a Christian context, abbot is a term used in English - speaking countries for a monk who holds the position of administrator of a Buddhist monastery or large Buddhist temple . In Buddhist nunneries, the nun who holds the equivalent position is known in English as the abbess . </P> <P> The English word "abbot" is used instead of all the various words that exist in the languages of the countries where Buddhism is, or was historically, well established . </P>

What is the leader of a buddhist temple called