Tulku
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A tulku (Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་, Wylie: sprul sku, ZYPY: Zhügu, 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
Contents
Nomenclature and etymology 1
"Meaning of "tulku 2
Finding a successor 3
Training 4
History 5
Tulku lineages 6
Documentaries 7
In fiction 8
See also 9
References 10
Further reading 11
External links 12
Nomenclature and etymology
The word སྤྲུལ or 'sprul' (Modern Lhasa Tibetan [ʈʉl]) was a verb in Old Tibetan literature and
was used to describe the བཙན་པོ་ btsanpo ('emperor'/天子)[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
"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.[1]
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."[2] Also meaning "emanation body
Finding a successor
:Pamela Logan outlines a general approach for finding a successor
When an old tulku dies, a committee of senior lamas convenes to find the young
reincarnation. The group may employ a number of methods in their search. First, they will
probably look for a letter left behind by the departed tulku indicating where he intends to be
born again. They will ask the close friends of the departed to recall everything he said during
his last days, in case he may have given hints. Often, an oracle is consulted. Sometimes a
prominent lama has a dream that reveals details of the child's house, parents, or of
geographical features near his home. Sometimes heaven presents a sign, perhaps a rainbow,
leading the search party to the child.[3]
Training
:Logan describes the training a tulku undergoes from a young age
He is brought up inside a monastery, under the direction of a head tutor and a number of
other teachers or servants. He must study hard and adhere to a strict regimen. He has few if
any toys or playmates, and is rarely allowed outside. Early on, he learns to receive important
visitors, take part in complicated rituals, and give blessings to followers and pilgrims.
Sometimes one or both parents are allowed to live near the young tulku. Older brothers are
sometimes inducted into the monastery as monk-companions for the holy child. Yet his
elderly tutors are the most influential people in his life, and they become his de facto
parents.[3]
:The academic atmosphere is balanced by unconditional love
Countering the bleak academic regimen is an atmosphere of overwhelming, unconditional
love. During the tulku's every waking moment, monks, family members, and awed, adoring
visitors, shower the youth with love. If you visit a child tulku, you will probably notice that
his quarters are pervaded by a wonderful glow. Everyone beams at the tulku. The tulku
beams back. If he asks for something, he is given it immediately, and if he errs, he is
corrected just as immediately. Western visitors to the young 14th Dalai Lama commented on
"the extraordinary steadiness of his gaze." Even when quite young, the boys have
remarkable poise; they sit calmly without fidgeting, even through ceremonies that may last
all day.[3]
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.[citation needed]
Tulku lineages
Main article: List of 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.[4]
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[5]
See also
Rebirth (Buddhist)
Incarnation
Reincarnation Application
Avatar
Bodhi
.Kumari — Nepalese Hindu goddess incarnation, similar determination process
Namarupa
References
Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang. A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher. Boston:
Shambhala. 2004. ISBN 978-1-59030-073-2. "This form of transference is practiced by
beginners on the path of accumulating who have received empowerment and respected the
samayas, have a good understanding of the view, and have practiced the generation phase
as the path but have not mastered it. Although they lack the necessary confidence to be
liberated in the clear light at the moment of death or in the intermediate state of absolute
reality, by taking refuge and praying to their teacher in the intermediate state they can close
the way to an unfavorable womb and choose a favorable rebirth. Propelled by compassion
and bodhichitta, they depart to a pure buddhafield or, failing that, take birth as a tulku born
".to parents who practice the Dharma. In that next life they will be liberated
Valentine, Jay (2013). "Lords of the Northern Treasures: The Development of the Tibetan
.Institution of Rule by Successive Incarnations". UVA Library | Virgo. Retrieved 2017-08-06
.Logan, Pamela (2004). "Tulkus in Tibet". Harvard Asia Quarterly 8 (1) 15-23
Pommaret, Françoise. Bhutan. Passport Books (Odyssey), 1998 (ISBN 0-8442-9966-9)
Tulku page on Goodreads
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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
.Tulkus
Reincarnate Lamas: Tulkus and Rinpoches - section from Berzin, Alexander. 2000 The
Traditional Meaning of a Spiritual Teacher
Tulkus: Incarnate Lamas of Tibet - An Interview with His Holiness Sakya Trizin - An excerpt
from Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus; A Research among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in
.Exile by Danial Barlocher, Opuscula Tibetana, Rikon-Zurich, August 1982
Tulkus: Incarnate Lamas of Tibet 2 - Interview with Sakya Gongma Dagchen Rinpoche -
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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