Tulku

A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor.

High-profile examples of tulkus include the Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas, the Samding Dorje Phagmos, the Karmapas, Khyentses, the Zhabdrung Rinpoches, and the Kongtruls.

Nomenclature and etymology

The word སྤྲུལ or 'sprul' (Modern Lhasa Tibetan ) was a verb in Old Tibetan literature and was used to describe the བཙན་པོ་ btsanpo ('emperor'/天子) taking a human form on earth. So the ''sprul'' idea of taking a corporeal form is a local religious idea alien to Indian Buddhism and other forms of Buddhism (e.g. Theravadin or Zen). Over time, indigenous religious ideas became assimilated by the new Buddhism; e.g. ''sprul'' became part of a compound noun, སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་'sprul.sku' ("incarnation body" or 'tülku', and 'btsan', the term for the imperial ruler of the Tibetan Empire, became a kind of mountain deity). The term ''tülku'' became associated with the translation of the Sanskrit philosophical term '' nirmanakaya''. According to the philosophical system of ''trikaya'' or ''three bodies of Buddha'', nirmanakaya is the Buddha's "body" in the sense of the bodymind (Sanskrit: '' nāmarūpa''). Thus, the person of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, is an example of nirmanakaya. In the context of Tibetan Buddhism, ''tülku'' means the corporeal existence of enlightened Buddhist masters in general.

In addition to Tibetans and related peoples, Tibetan Buddhism is a traditional religion of the Mongols and their relatives. The Mongolian word for a ''tülku'' is ''qubilγan'', though such persons may also be called by the honorific title ''qutuγtu'' (Tib: phags-pa'' and Skt: ''ārya ''or ''superior'', not to be confused with the historic figure, 'Phags-pa Lama or the script attributed to him, ( ''Phags-pa'' script), or ''hutagt'' in the standard Khalkha dialect. According to the ''Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom'' by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal: the term ''tülku'' "designates one who is 'noble' (or 'selfless' according to Buddha's usage) and used in Buddhist texts to denote a highly achieved being who has attained the first bhumi, a level of attainment which is truly egoless, or higher."

The Chinese word for ''tülku'' is ''huófó'' (活佛), which literally means "living Buddha" and is sometimes used to mean ''tülku'', although the Dalai Lama has said that this is a mistranslation, as a tülku isn't necessarily a realized being.

Meaning of "tulku"

Higher Vajrayana practitioner can be reborn as a ''tülku'', who have attained siddhis and mastered the bardo of dying, bardo of dharmata or bardo of becoming.

Valentine summarizes the shift in meaning of the word ''tülku'': "This term that was originally used to describe the Buddha as a "magical emanation" of enlightenment, is best translated as "incarnation" or "steadfast incarnation" when used in the context of the tulku system to describe patriarchs that reliably return to human form." Also meaning "emanation body".

Finding a successor

Pamela Logan outlines a general approach for finding a successor:

Training

Logan describes the training a tulku undergoes from a young age:

The academic atmosphere is balanced by unconditional love:

History

The tulku system of preserving Dharma lineages did not operate in India. The first tulku line of Tibet is the Karmapas. After the first Karmapa died in 1193, a lama had recurrent visions of a particular child as his rebirth. This child (born ca. 1205) was recognized as the second Karmapa, thus beginning the Tibetan tulku tradition.

Tulku lineages

Some examples:
*Dodrupchen tulkus are the main custodians of Longchen Nyingthig.
*Dudjom tulkus are the main custodians of Dudjom Tersar.
*Chokling tulkus are the main custodians of Chokling Tersar.
*Khyentse tulkus are the main custodians of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
*Kongtrul tulkus are the main custodians of the Jamgon Kongtrul.
* Samding Dorje Phagmo tulkus are the highest female incarnation lineage in Tibet.
Tibetologist Françoise Pommaret estimates there are presently approximately 500 tulku lineages found across Tibet, Bhutan, Northern India, Nepal, Mongolia, and the southwest provinces of China.

Documentaries

* '' My Reincarnation''
* '' Tulku''
* ''Unmistaken Child''

In fiction

*''Tulku'' by Peter Dickinson, a children's novel about a young English boy who visits Tibet while fleeing the Boxer Rebellion''Tulku'' page on Goodreads

See also

* Rebirth (Buddhist)
* Incarnation
* Reincarnation Application
* Avatar
* Bodhi
* Kumari — ''Nepalese Hindu goddess incarnation, similar determination process''.
* Namarupa

References

Further reading

* Ray, Reginald A. 1986 "Some aspects of the Tulku tradition in Tibet." in ''The Tibet Journal'' 11 (4): 35-69
* Tulku, Thondup (2011
Incarnation:The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition of Tibet
Boston. Shambhala Publications.

External links

Reincarnate Lamas: Tulkus and Rinpoches
- section from Berzin, Alexander. 2000 ''The Traditional Meaning of a Spiritual Teacher''


- An excerpt from ''Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus; A Research among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in Exile'' by Danial Barlocher, Opuscula Tibetana, Rikon-Zurich, August 1982.


- excerpted from ''Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus; A Research among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in Exile'' by Danial Barlocher, Opuscula Tibetana, Rikon-Zurich, August 1982. (Interview translator: Cyrus Stearns).

Tulkus : Masters of Reincarnation
- focus article at WisdomBooks.com

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Tibetan Buddhist titles