Tulpa
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Tulpa (Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་པ, Wylie: sprul-pa; Sanskrit: निर्मित nirmita[1] and निर्माण nirmāṇa;[2] "to build" or "to construct") is a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through sheer discipline alone. It is a materialized thought that has taken physical form and is usually regarded as synonymous to a thoughtform.[3]
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Tibetan Buddhism [edit]
Tulpa is a spiritual discipline and teachings concept in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. The term 'thoughtform' is used as early as 1927 in Evans-Wentz translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, described as "giving palpable being to a visualization, in very much the same manner as an architect gives concrete expression in three dimensions to [...] his blue-print".[4]
John Myrdhin Reynolds in a note to his English translation of the life story of Garab Dorje defines a tulpa thus:
A Nirmita (sprul-pa) is an emanation or a manifestation. A Buddha or other realized being is able to project many such Nirmitas simultaneously in an infinite variety of forms.[1]
The term is used in the works of Alexandra David-Néel, who claimed to have created a tulpa in the image of a jolly Friar Tuck-like monk which later developed a life of its own and had to be destroyed.[5]
The term Tulpa is also used and explained in the series Supernatural Season 1, episode 17 Hell house.
Thoughtform [edit]
A thoughtform is the equivalent concept to a tulpa but within the Western occult tradition. The Western understanding is believed to have originated as an interpretation of the Tibetan concept.[3] Its concept is related to the Western philosophy and practice of magic.[6]
Modern Internet Phenomenon [edit]
Recently as of 2012, there have appeared a few communities dedicated to researching this from a mostly psychological perspective. Of them include Tulpa.Info as well as the Reddit board r/tulpas, dedicated to the subject.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Reynolds, John Myrdhin (1996). The Golden Letters: The Three Statements of Garab Dorje, the first teacher of Dzogchen, together with a commentary by Dza Patrul Rinpoche entitled "The Special Teaching of the Wise and Glorious King". With Foreword by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. New York, USA: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-050-6. p.350
- ^ Rinbochay, Lati; Rinbochay, Denma Lochö; Zahler, Leah (translator); & Hopkins, Jeffrey (translator) (1983, 1997). Meditative States in Tibetan Buddhism. Somerville, Massachusetts, USA: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-119-X. p.188
- ^ a b Campbell, Eileen; Brennan, J.H.; Holt-Underwood, Fran (February 1994). Body Mind & Spirit: A Dictionary of New Age Ideas, People, Places, and Terms. Tuttle Pub. ISBN 0-8048-3010-X
- ^ The Tibetan book of the great liberation; or, The method of realizing nirvana through knowing the mind, preceded by an epitome of Padma-Sambhava’s biography and followed by Guru Phadampa Sangay’s teachings According to English renderings by Sardar Bahädur S. W. Laden La and by the Lāmas Karma Sumdhon Paul, Lobzang Mingyur Dorje, and Kazi Dawa-Samdup. Introductions, annotations, and editing by W. Y. Evans-Wentz. With psychological commentary by C. G. Jung. London, New York, Oxford University Press, 1954.
- ^ Reader's digest (1990). Mysteries of the Unexplained. Readers Digest Association. ISBN 0-89577-146-2. Page 176 describes Alexandra David-Néel's experience, as recalled in her 1929 published book Magic and Mystery in Tibet.
- ^ Cunningham, David Michael, Creating Magickal Entities: A Complete Guide to Entity Creation, Egregore Publishing. ISBN 1-932517-44-8
Further reading [edit]
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Look up tulpa or Thoughtform in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Besant, Annie; Leadbeater, C.W. (1901). Thought Forms. London: Theosophical Publishing Society. ISBN 0-8356-0008-4.
- Makransky, Bob (2000). Thought Forms. Occidental, Calif: Dear Brutus Press. ISBN 0-9677315-3-4.
- Smith, Russell James (2003). Tulpa. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-27490-1.
