What is a tulku in Tibetan Buddhism?
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| Look, everyone! I'm a tulku! |
The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, embodying the concept of "enlightened beings" taking corporeal forms to continue the lineage of specific teachings.
The term "tulku" is a loanword from Tibetan སྤྲུལ་སྐུ (sprul sku), which originally referred to an emperor or ruler taking human form on Earth, signifying a divine incarnation.
Over time, it evolved within Tibetan Buddhism to denote the corporeal existence of certain highly accomplished Buddhist masters whose purpose was to ensure the preservation and transmission of a particular competing lineage.
The tulku system originated in Tibet, particularly associated with the recognition of the second Karmapa in the 13th century. Since then, numerous tulku lineages have been established, with each tulku having a distinctive role in preserving and propagating specific teachings.
Other high-profile examples of tulkus include the fourteen Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas, the Samding Dorje Phagmos, Khyentses, the Zhabdrung Rinpoches, and the Kongtruls.
The process of recognizing tulkus involves a combination of traditional and supernatural methods. When a tulku passes away, a committee of senior lamas convenes to identify the reincarnation.
They may look for signs left by the departed tulku, consult psychic oracles, rely on dreams or visions, and sometimes even observe natural phenomena like rainbows. [Somewhere over the rainbow...]
This process combines mysticism and tradition to pinpoint the successor who will carry forward the teachings of their predecessor. More
- Neten Dorjee, A Wish Fulfilled: After Six Years [tulku Vairochana Rinpoche]; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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