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Atulku (Tibetan:སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་,Wylie:sprul sku,ZWPY:Zhügu, alsotülku,trulku) is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect ofTibetan Buddhism, embodying the concept of enlightened beings taking corporeal forms to continue the lineage of specific teachings. The term "tulku" is aloanword 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 lineage.
The tulku system originated in Tibet, particularly associated with the recognition of the secondKarmapa 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 theDalai Lamas, thePanchen Lamas, theSamding Dorje Phagmos,Khyentses, theZhabdrung Rinpoches, and theKongtruls.
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 oracles, rely on dreams or visions, and sometimes even observe natural phenomena like rainbows. This process combines mysticism and tradition to pinpoint the successor who will carry forward the teachings of their predecessor.
AWestern tulku is the recognized successor to a lama or dharma master born in the West, commonly of non-Tibetan ethnic heritage. This recognition has sparked debates and discussions regarding the cultural adaptation and authenticity of Westerners within the traditional Tibetan tulku system. Some argue that Westerners should explore their own forms of Buddhism rather than attempting to fit into this system. Western tulkus may struggle to gain recognition among laypeople and even other monastics. Generally, Western tulkus do not follow traditional Tibetan monastic life, and commonly leave their home monasteries for alternative careers, not necessarily chaplaincy.[1]
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 thesprul 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). The termtülku became associated with the translation of theSanskrit philosophical termnirmanakaya. According to the philosophical system oftrikaya orthree bodies of Buddha, nirmanakaya is the Buddha's "body" in the sense of thebodymind (Sanskrit:nāmarūpa). Thus, the person ofSiddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, is an example of nirmanakaya.
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). Valentine summarizes the shift in meaning of the wordtülku: "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]
According to theLight of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal: the termtülku "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."[This quote needs a citation] HigherVajrayana practitioners who have attained siddhis and mastered thebardo of dying, bardo of dharmata or bardo of becoming can be reborn as a tülkus.[3] According to Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang:
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.[3]
In addition to Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism is a traditional religion in China and Mongolia. The Mongolian word for atülku isqubilγan, though such persons may also be called by the honorific titlequtuγtu (Tib: 'phags-pa and Skt:āryaorsuperior, not to be confused with the historic figure, 'Phags-pa Lama or the script attributed to him, (Phags-pa script), orhutagt in the standardKhalkha dialect. The Chinese word fortülku ishuófó (活佛), which literally means "living Buddha".
Tibetans recognize at least three grades of tulku. Three of these grades as reported by Peter Bishop are:[4]
In a strict sense,tulku is a Tibetan translation of theSanskritnirmāṇakāya, which refers to the "transformation" or "emanation body" of aBuddha.Tulku is therefore the physical "form in which a Buddha appears to ordinary beings."[5]
A related term in Tibetan isyangsi (literally "rebirth" or "re-becoming") which refers to an enlightened master who has returned to earthly existence for the sake of benefitting sentient beings. While the notion of a nirmāṇakāya is found throughoutMahayana Buddhism, and is integral to the doctrine of thetrikaya ("Three Bodies"), the concept of theyangsi is uniquely Tibetan. Tulku, as a title, refers to one who is recognized as the yangsi of a master.[6]
It arose in the context of a political vacuum spurred by the assassination ofRalpachen, which saw monastic centers develop political power in a second spreading of Buddhism in Tibet.[7] It had "purely politico-mercantile origins and functions"[8] and later became a significant spiritual institution. However, some commentators argue that the political shift was "grafted onto the tradition of recognizing reincarnations, not the other way around."[8]Turrell V. Wylie wrote that the tulku system "developed in Tibetan Buddhism primarily for political reasons"[9] while Reginald Ray argued that such a view ignores "miss[es] what is perhaps its most distinctive feature" which is its "important ideological and religious dimensions",[10] being "deeply rooted" in thebodhisattva concept.[9]
Tulku have been associated with ruling power since its origination, expressing indigenous Tibetan notions of kingship.[11] This system supplanted the earlier model of monastic governance, in which a celibate religious head acted as abbot, while his brother, a married administrative head, continued the family line, with his eldest son becoming the next religious head, creating an uncle-nephew system of inheritance.[12] The first recognized tulku was perhapsRangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama.[13]
Giuseppe Tucci traced the origin of the tulku concept toIndian Vajrayana, particularly in a fragmentary biography ofMaitripada he discovered inNepal.[14] The tulku system of preserving Dharma lineages developed in Tibet after the 12th century, with the first recognized tulku being perhapsRangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama.[13] Foreign tulkus have been identified since at least the sixteenth century, when the grandson of the MongolAltan Khan was recognized as the4th Dalai Lama. TheMongol conversion to Buddhism served a political function and allowedTibet to build a closer relationship with the MongolYuan Dynasty.[15] Traditionally, however, tulku were only recognized from Tibetan cultural areas, encompassing Tibet, Nepal,Mongolia, andBhutan.[16]
TheChinese annexation of Tibet in 1959 created massive social upheaval. This intensified during theCultural Revolution which brought irreparable damage to the institutions and traditions which constitute Tibetan Buddhism as one of theFour Olds. As a result, Tibetan Buddhism has flourished in areas of Tibetan culture not under Chinese rule, such as Nepal, Bhutan, and parts ofNorth India. In India, the traditional monastic system is largely intact and the tulku system remains politically relevant.[17] Compounded with the inherent transnational character ofproselytizing religions, Tibetan Buddhism is "pulled between the need to adapt itself and the need to preserve itself".[18]
Westerners began taking an interest in Tibetan Buddhism during thecounterculture of the 1960s, and Tibetan Buddhism became popular among western Buddhists and they began to be recognized as incarnations of Buddhist masters around this time.[19][20] Most of these, however, wereexpatriate Tibetans or Tibetans ofmixed heritage, such as the son ofChögyam Trungpa. Initially, Westerners were not recognized as tulkus by the wider Tibetan diaspora.[21][22]
The recognition of Westerners as tulkus began in the 1970s, following the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to modern Western countries such as theUnited States.[23][24][25][26][excessive citations] The first recognized Western tulku was Dylan Henderson, an American boy identified as his father's teacher, or alternatively Ossian MacLise. MacLise, however, was born inKathmandu, Nepal.[27][28]
Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama (Wylie:Dus gsum Mkhyen pa, 1110–1193), was a disciple of the Tibetan masterGampopa. A talented child who studied Buddhism with his father from an early age and who sought out great teachers in his twenties and thirties, he is said to have attainedenlightenment at the age of fifty while practicingdream yoga. He was henceforth regarded by the contemporary highly respected masters Shakya Śri and Lama Shang as the Karmapa, a manifestation ofAvalokiteśvara, whose coming was predicted in theSamadhiraja Sutra[29] and theLaṅkāvatāra Sūtra.[30]
The Karmapa is a long line of consciously reborn lamas. A Karmapa's identity is confirmed through a combination realizedlineage teachers supernatural insight, prediction letters left by the previous Karmapa, and the young child's own self-proclamation and ability to identify objects and people known to its previous incarnation.[31][32]
After thefirst Karmapa died in 1193, a lama had recurrent visions of a particular child as hisrebirth. This child (bornc. 1205) was recognized as theKarma Pakshi, 2nd Karmapa Lama (1204–1283), thus beginning the Tibetan tulku tradition. Karma Pakshi was the first recognized tulku inTibetan Buddhism that predicted the circumstances of his rebirth.[33][34]
The 8th, 10th, and 12th incarnations, as well as the16th Karmapa, each faced conflicts during their recognition,[35] which were ultimately resolved. There was acontroversy over the enthronement of two 17th Karmapas.
Gendun Drup (1391–1474), a disciple of the founderJe Tsongkapa,[36] was the ordination name of the monk who came to be known as the 'First Dalai Lama', but only from 104 years after he died.[37] There had been resistance, since first he was ordained a monk in the Kadampa tradition[38] and for various reasons, for hundreds of years the Kadampa school had eschewed the adoption of thetulku system to which the older schools adhered.[39]Tsongkhapa largely modelled his new, reformedGelugpa school on the Kadampa tradition and refrained from starting a tulku system.[40] Therefore, although Gendun Drup grew to be a very important Gelugpa lama, after he died in 1474 there was no question of any search being made to identify his incarnation.[39]
Despite this, when the Tashilhunpo monks started hearing what seemed credible accounts that an incarnation of Gendun Drup had appeared nearby and repeatedly announced himself from the age of two, their curiosity was aroused.[41] It was some 55 years after Tsongkhapa's death when eventually, the monastic authorities saw compelling evidence that convinced them the child in question was indeed the incarnation of their founder. They felt obliged to break with their own tradition and in 1487, the boy was renamedGendun Gyatso and installed at Tashilhunpo as Gendun Drup's tulku, albeit informally.[42]
Gendun Gyatso died in 1542 and the lineage of Dalai Lama tulkus finally became firmly established when the third incarnation,Sonam Gyatso (1543–1588), came forth. He made himself known as thetulku of Gendun Gyatso and was formally recognised and enthroned at Drepung in 1546.[43] When Gendun Gyatso was given the titular name "Dalai Lama" by the TümedAltan Khan in 1578,[44] his two predecessors were accorded the title posthumously and he became known as the third in the lineage.[37]
TheTai Situpa lineage is one of the oldest tulku lineages in theKagyu school ofTibetan Buddhism[45] In Tibetan Buddhism tradition, Kenting Tai Situpa is considered as emanation of BodhisattvaMaitreya andPadmasambhava and who has been incarnated numerous times asIndian andTibetanyogis since the time of thehistorical Buddha.[45]
Chokyi Gyaltsen was the first to bear the title "GrandSitu" (Chinese:大司徒;pinyin:Dà Sītú), conferred upon him in 1407 by theYongle Emperor ofMing China. He was a close disciple ofDeshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama, who appointed himabbot of Karma Goen, the Karmapa's principalmonastery at the time. The full title bestowed wasKenting Naya Tang Nyontse Geshetse Tai Situpa which is shortened toKenting Tai Situ. The full title means "far reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the command".[46]
The current Tai Situpa,Pema Tönyö Nyinje, is the 12th.[47] He is the head ofPalpung Monastery.
TheSamding Dorje Phagmo (Tibetan:བསམ་སྡིང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ) is the highest female tulku in Tibet[48] and the third highest-ranking person in the hierarchy after theDalai Lama and thePanchen Lama.[49] She was listed among the highest-ranking reincarnations at the time of the5th Dalai Lama, recognized by the Tibetan government and acknowledged by the emperors ofQing China.[50] In her first incarnation, asChökyi Drönma (1422–1455CE), she was the student and consort of the famous polymathThang Tong Gyalpo,[51] who first identified her as an emanation ofVajravārāhī,[52] and the consort of Bodong Panchen.[53] The seat of the Samding Dorje Phagmo is atSamding Monastery, in Tibet.
The current (12th) Samding Dorje Pakmo Trülku is Dechen Chökyi Drönma, who was born in 1938 or 1942. Dechen Chökyi Drönma was very young at thetime of the Chinese occupation, and her exact date of birth is contested.[54] Dechen Chökyi Drönma was recognised by the present14th Dalai Lama as a true incarnation and served as a vice president of theBuddhist Association of China in 1956 while he was president, andChoekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama also as vice president. She went to Lhasa in 1958 and received the empowerment ofYamantaka from the Dalai Lama and the empowerment ofVajrayogini from the Dalai Lama's tutor,Trijang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso.[55] She has been trained in the Bodongpa tradition and remains the head of theSamding Monastery. She simultaneously holds the post of a high government cadre in theTibet Autonomous Region. She has as a result been accused of collaborating with the Chinese.[56][57]
The Trungpa tülkus are a line of incarnateTibetanlamas who traditionally head Surmang monastery complex inKham, nowSurmang. There have been twelve such Trungpa tulkus. They are members of theKarma Kagyu tradition as well as theNyingma tradition. These tulkus are recognized as reincarnations of Künga Gyaltsen (15th century), a student of Trungmase.
The 11th Trungpa tulku wasChögyam Trungpa (1940–1987). He was one of the most influential teachers ofBuddhism in the West and foundedShambhala Buddhism.
Choseng Trungpa Rinpoche is the 12th and current Trungpa tulku.[58]
InBhutan, the title Zhabdrung Rinpoche refers toNgawang Namgyal (1594–1651), the founder of the Bhutanese state, or one of his successivereincarnations. Following his death, the ruling authorities in Bhutan were faced with the problem of succession. To neutralize the power of future Zhabdrung incarnations, the Druk Desi, Je Khenpo and penlops conspired to recognize not a single person but rather as three separate persons—abody incarnation (Ku tulku), amind incarnation (Thu tulku orThugtrul), and aspeech incarnation (Sung tulku orSungtrul). In spite of their efforts to consolidate the power established by the original Zhabdrung, the country sank into warring factionalism for the next 200 years. The body incarnation lineage died out in the mid-18th century, while the mind and speech incarnations of the Zhabdrung continued into the 20th century. The mind incarnation was the one generally recognized as theZhabdrung.[59]
Besides the mind incarnation, there was also a line of claimants for the speech incarnation. At the time the monarchy was founded in 1907, Choley Yeshe Ngodub (or Chogley Yeshey Ngodrup) was the speech incarnation and also served as the last Druk Desi. After his death in 1917, he was succeeded by Chogley Jigme Tenzin (1919–1949).[60] The next claimant, unrecognized by the Bhutan government, lived atTawang monastery in India and was evacuated to the western Himalayas during the 1962Sino-Indian War.[61]
Another line of claimants to be the mind incarnation of Ngawang Namgyal existed in Tibet, and was represented byNamkhai Norbu, who lived in Italy.
The recognition of Panchen Lamas began withLobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, tutor of the5th Dalai Lama, who received the title "Panchen Bogd" fromAltan Khan and the Dalai Lama in 1645.[62]Bogd is Mongolian, meaning "holy".[63]Khedrup Gelek Pelzang,Sönam Choklang andEnsapa Lobsang Döndrup were subsequently recognized as the first to third Panchen Lamas posthumously.
In 1713, theKangxi Emperor of theQing dynasty granted the titlePanchen Erdeni to the5th Panchen Lama. In 1792, theQianlong Emperor issued a decree known as the29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet, and Article One of the decree was designed to be used in the selection of rinpoches, lamas and other high offices within Tibetan Buddhism, including the Dalai Lamas, Panchen Lamas and Mongolian lamas.[64][65]
Traditionally, the Panchen Lama is the head ofTashilhunpo Monastery, and holds religious and secular power over theTsang region centered inShigatse, independent of theGanden Podrang authority led by the Dalai Lama.[66][67] The Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are closely connected, and each participates in the process of recognizing the other's reincarnations.[68]
The current 11th Panchen Lama,Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was recognized by the14th Dalai Lama on 14 May 1995. Three days later, the six-year-old Panchen Lama was kidnapped by the Chinese government and his family was taken into custody. The Chinese government instead namedGyaincain Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama. Their nomination has beenwidely rejected by Buddhists in Tibet and abroad, while governments have called for information about and the release of the Panchen Lama. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has never been publicly seen since 1995.[69][70]
The first Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo, a meditator recognized as a wisdom dakini[71] was one of the main disciples ofNamchö Mingyur Dorje (1645–1667)[71] and sister of Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, Migyur Dorje's Dharma heir[72] and the First Throneholder ofPalyul Monastery (founded 1665).[73] She was credited as being instrumental to the founding of Palyul (now one of the Nyingma's six main or "mother" monasteries[74]) and for leaving a relic that is important to Palyul. During the cremation of her body, her kapala (top half of the skull) is said to have flown three kilometers and come to rest at the foot of the teaching throne of her brother. Found to be miraculously embossed with the sacred syllable AH, the kapala became an important relic housed at Palyul monastery in Tibet.[71]
The Third DrubwangPadma Norbu ("Penor") Rinpoche, 11th Throneholder of Palyul Monastery, former Supreme Head of theNyingma tradition[75] was recognized as a tulku and brought to Palyul Monastery in 1936 at the age of four. He recounted that as a young tulku in Tibet, inspired by seeing the skull relic, he made prayers to find Ahkon Lhamo's incarnation.[71][76] Though most of the kapala relic was pulverized into dust during theCultural Revolution, one Tibetan man managed to save a silver dollar-size piece on which the syllable "AH" appears. Penor Rinpoche acquired it from him on a return trip to Tibet in 1987. He had it preserved in a crystal lotus bowl.
In 1987, Penor Rinpoche officially recognized Alyce Louise Zeoli as the tulku of Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo during her visit to his Namdroling Monastery inBylakuppe,Karnataka, India.[77] He gave her the crystal lotus bowl containing the relic of Ahkon Lhamo just prior to the occasion of her enthronement ceremony asJetsunma Ahkon Lhamo atKunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) in 1988.[78] The relic remains at KPC and is displayed on auspicious days.
Kongtrul tulkus are the main custodians ofJamgon Kongtrul (1813–1899). Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician,tertön and polymath.[79][80] He is credited as one of the founders of theRimé movement (non-sectarian), compiling what is known as the "Five Great Treasuries".[81] He achieved great renown as a scholar and writer, especially among theNyingma andKagyu lineages and composed over 90 volumes of Buddhist writing,[79][81] including his magnum opus,The Treasury of Knowledge. There have been several recognized tulkus of Lodro Thaye.
The current lineage holder as the 4th Jamgon Kongtrul isLodrö Chökyi Nyima. He was recognized in August 1996 byOgyen Trinley Dorje, the 17thKarmapa, who gave the name Jamgon Lodro Chokyi Nyima Dronme Chok Thamced Le Nampar Gyalwe De. He was born on November 26, 1995, inChushur Dzong, near Chushur Dzong, in Central Tibet. This recognition was confirmed by the14th Dalai Lama,Sakya Trizin, head of theSakya school ofTibetan Buddhism, andMindroling Trichen, former head of theNyingma tradition. All three performed hair-cutting ceremonies and bestowed names, as is traditional. As the reincarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul, Lodrö is entitled to be called "Rinpoche".
Khyentse tulkus are the main custodians of the lineage ofJamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), a teacher, scholar andtertön of 19th-centuryTibet. He was a leading figure in theRimé movement.
Several tulkus of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, including those of body(sku), speech(gsung), mind(thugs), qualities(yon tan) and activity(Wylie: 'phrin las), were recognized in Tibet.[82] Of these, the body incarnation was Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chökyi Wangpo, who was enthroned at Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's main seat atDzongsar Monastery but died in an accident c. 1909.[83] The activity incarnationDzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who was originally enthroned atKatok Monastery succeeded him. The speech incarnation was theSecond Beru Khyentse and the mind incarnationDilgo Khyentse. Since the early 1960s, Dilgo Khyentse, single-handedly upholding the unique tradition of Khyentse incarnations, propagated Buddhism tirelessly in India, Bhutan, Nepal,Tibet, and the West.[84]
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Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) was a Tibetanmeditation master, spiritual teacher andtertön.[85] He stands out from the norm ofTibetan Buddhist teachers in the sense that he had no formal education, nor did he take ordination as amonk or belong to any establishedBuddhist school or tradition of his time.[86]
His recognized successor,Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, was more commonly known as Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987).[87] He is considered to be the direct incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa.[87] He was aNyingmahouseholder, yogi, and aVajrayana andDzogchen master. According to his disciple Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, he was revered as "His Holiness" and as a "Master of Masters".[88]
The third Dudjom tulku, Sangye Pema Zhepa, was first recognized by terton Khandro Tare Lama through a prophetic poem written indakini script on the day of his birth. Tare Lama wrote toChatral Rinpoche, who confirmed the prophecy and recognized the three-year-old tulku in person. Recognitions were also conferred by the14th Dalai Lama,Kyabje Penor Rinpoche,Sakya Trinzin Rinpoche, and others.[89] On February 15, 2022, Dudjom Rinpoche Sangye Pema Zhepa, after telling his staff that he was going to rest and relax, suddenly died. He was 32 years of age when he passed at the Dudjom Labrang, his residence.[90][91]
Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) was aTibetanlama who, while exiled inNepal, co-foundedKopan Monastery (1969) and theFoundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (1975). He followed theGelug tradition, and was considered unconventional in his teaching style. Lama Yeshe died in 1984, 20 minutes before dawn on the first day ofLosar, the Tibetan New Year. His body was cremated at the Vajrapani Institute inBoulder Creek, California,[92] where there is astupa honoring him.
In 1986, after certain traditional tests, theDalai Lama formally recognizedTenzin Ösel Hita as thetulku orreincarnation ofThubten Yeshe—making him one of only a handful of Western tulkus—and renamed him "Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche" (Tibetan:བསྟན་འཛིན་འོད་གསལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།). This makes Thubten Yeshe the first in a new lineage of tulkus. As a child Ösel was heavily promoted by the FPMT, and made the subject of a book byVicki Mackenzie,Reincarnation: The Boy Lama.[93] He is the fifth of nine siblings.[93]
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.[94]
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.[94]
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.[94]
According toDzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, the tulku system is a method of identifying and nurturing spiritual talent, ensuring the continuity of the tradition, and controlling resources and revenue streams. He describes how the system also ensured control of valuable real estate and financial capital, making Tibetan monasteries early examples of capitalistic institutions.[95] In an analysis of an article titled "Time for Radical Change in How We Raise Our Tulkus" by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche,[96] Ken McLeod relates that the tulku system is facing challenges in the modern world. Tulkus can no longer be secluded during training as they were in Tibet, and their roles are changing. There is a shift from the traditional three-year retreat, and the adoption of titles like "His Holiness" has become a competition among tulku lineages to establish pedigree.[95]
The tulku system has been criticized since its inception. In the centuries following the inception of the system used to identify reincarnate lamas, the process became increasingly corrupted and politicized by those living outside monastic-ordination systems, as the process also led indirectly to sources of material wealth and power in Tibet.[a][b][c][d] Highly respected teachers like the14th Dalai Lama andShamar Rinpoche have bemoaned the practice as belonging to feudal times, and have advocated revamping the system in way that divorces the reincarnate teacher from administrative politics and allows them to distinguish themselves.[e][f][g][h]
Criticism has also been directed against individual tulkus, including both Tibetan andWestern tulkus.[97] The validity of the recognition of Tsangyang Gyatso (born 1683) as the6th Dalai Lama in 1697 was questioned[98] due to the fact that he preferred a libertine lifestyle to that of an ordained monk. Living as angagpa (lay practitioner and yogi), he grew his hair long, dressed as a regular Tibetan, and was said to drink alcohol and enjoy the company of women.[99]
Chögyam Trungpa, the 11thTrungpa tulku, was criticized for his unconventional teaching style,[100] for his sexual involvement with a number of his female students,[101] and for smoking tobacco and liberally using alcohol; many who knew him characterized him as an alcoholic.[102][103] The case of Trungpa has been used as an example in calls to reform the tulku system.[97]
The enthronement ofSteven Seagal in 1997 prompted debate.Penor Rinpoche, who has recognized several Western tulku, defended his recognition of Seagal, arguing that it was not uncommon to recognize tulku late in life or for there to exist large gaps between incarnations of a tulku.[104] Seagal is involved in the international arms trade and the government ofRussia, which has prompted criticism of his title by English journalistMarina Hyde.[105]
Tibetan tulkuSogyal Rinpoche, recognized as an incarnation of 19th-century Tibetan master and visionaryTertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, was accused of sexual and physical assault and abuse,[97] as well as misusing charitable funds, with allegations stretching back to the 1970s.[106][107] In 2017 his organisation,Rigpa, announced these allegations would be investigated by an outside party and on 5 September 2018, Rigpa released an independent report produced by the UK law firmLewis Silkin LLP, which upheld most of the allegations.[108] The case of Sogyal Rinpoche has been used as an example in calls to reform the tulku system.[97]
Penor Rinpoche has faced criticism for having officially recognized severalWestern tulkus, including accusations of bestowing titles for payment,[109] which he has denied.[104] The currentDalai Lama is uncertain whether the recognition of Western tulkus is beneficial.[110]
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This is alist of tulku lineages. TibetologistFrançoise Pommaret estimates there are presently approximately 500 tulku lineages found acrossTibet,Bhutan, NorthernIndia,Nepal,Mongolia, and the southwest provinces ofChina.[111]
Tibetans recognize at leastthree grades of identifiable reincarnated persons, usually known as 'tulku' ...
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