In a strict sense,
tulku is a Tibetan translation of the
Sanskrit nirmāṇakāya, which refers to the "transformation" or "emanation body" of a
Buddha.
Tulku is therefore the physical "form in which a Buddha appears to ordinary beings." A related term in Tibetan is
yangsi (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 throughout
Mahayana Buddhism, and is integral to the doctrine of the
trikaya ("Three Bodies"), the concept of the
yangsi is uniquely Tibetan. Tulku, as a title, refers to one who is recognized as the yangsi of a master. It arose in the context of a political vacuum spurred by the assassination of
Ralpachen, which saw monastic centers develop political power in a second spreading of Buddhism in Tibet. It had "purely politico-mercantile origins and functions" 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."
Turrell V. Wylie wrote that the tulku system "developed in Tibetan Buddhism primarily for political reasons" 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", being "deeply rooted" in the
bodhisattva concept. Tulku have been associated with ruling power since its origination, expressing indigenous Tibetan notions of kingship. 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. The first recognized tulku was perhaps
Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama.
Giuseppe Tucci traced the origin of the tulku concept to
Indian Vajrayana, particularly in a fragmentary biography of
Maitripada he discovered in
Nepal. The tulku system of preserving Dharma lineages developed in Tibet after the 12th century, with the first recognized tulku being perhaps
Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama. Foreign tulkus have been identified since at least the sixteenth century, when the grandson of the Mongol
Altan Khan was recognized as the
4th Dalai Lama. The
Mongol conversion to Buddhism served a political function and allowed
Tibet to build a closer relationship with the Mongol
Yuan Dynasty. Traditionally, however, tulku were only recognized from Tibetan cultural areas, encompassing Tibet, Nepal,
Mongolia, and
Bhutan. The
Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1959 created massive social upheaval. This intensified during the
Cultural Revolution which brought irreparable damage to the institutions and traditions which constitute Tibetan Buddhism as one of the
Four Olds. As a result, Tibetan Buddhism has flourished in areas of Tibetan culture not under Chinese rule, such as Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of
North India. In India, the traditional monastic system is largely intact and the tulku system remains politically relevant. Compounded with the inherent transnational character of
proselytizing religions, Tibetan Buddhism is "pulled between the need to adapt itself and the need to preserve itself".
Westerners began taking an interest in Tibetan Buddhism during the
counterculture 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. Most of these, however, were
expatriate Tibetans or Tibetans of
mixed heritage, such as the son of
Chögyam Trungpa. Initially, Westerners were not recognized as tulkus by the wider Tibetan diaspora. The recognition of Westerners as tulkus began in the 1970s, following the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to modern Western countries such as the
United States. 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 in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Lineage of the Karmapas Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama (, 1110–1193), was a disciple of the Tibetan master
Gampopa. 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 attained
enlightenment at the age of fifty while practicing
dream yoga. He was henceforth regarded by the contemporary highly respected masters Shakya Śri and Lama Shang as the Karmapa, a manifestation of
Avalokiteśvara, whose coming was predicted in the
Samadhiraja Sutra and the
Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. The Karmapa is a long line of consciously reborn lamas. A Karmapa's identity is confirmed through a combination realized
lineage 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. After the
first Karmapa died in 1193, a lama had recurrent visions of a particular child as his
rebirth. This child (born ) was recognized as the
Karma Pakshi, 2nd Karmapa Lama (1204–1283), thus beginning the Tibetan tulku tradition. Karma Pakshi was the first recognized tulku in
Tibetan Buddhism that predicted the circumstances of his rebirth. The 8th, 10th, and 12th incarnations, as well as the
16th Karmapa, each faced conflicts during their recognition, which were ultimately resolved. There was a
controversy over the enthronement of two 17th Karmapas.
Lineage of the Dalai Lamas Gendun Drup (1391–1474), a disciple of the founder
Je Tsongkapa, 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. There had been resistance, since first he was ordained a monk in the Kadampa tradition and for various reasons, for hundreds of years the Kadampa school had eschewed the adoption of the
tulku system to which the older schools adhered.
Tsongkhapa largely modelled his new, reformed
Gelugpa school on the Kadampa tradition and refrained from starting a tulku system. 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. 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. 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 renamed
Gendun Gyatso and installed at Tashilhunpo as Gendun Drup's tulku, albeit informally. 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 the
tulku of Gendun Gyatso and was formally recognised and enthroned at Drepung in 1546. When Gendun Gyatso was given the titular name "Dalai Lama" by the Tümed
Altan Khan in 1578, his two predecessors were accorded the title posthumously and he became known as the third in the lineage.
Lineage of the Tai Situpas '' of Tai Situ The
Tai Situpa lineage is one of the oldest tulku lineages in the
Kagyu school of
Tibetan Buddhism In Tibetan Buddhism tradition, Kenting Tai Situpa is considered as emanation of Bodhisattva
Maitreya and
Padmasambhava and who has been incarnated numerous times as
Indian and
Tibetan
yogis since the time of the
historical Buddha. Traditionally, the Panchen Lama is the head of
Tashilhunpo Monastery, and holds religious and secular power over the
Tsang region centered in
Shigatse, independent of the
Ganden Podrang authority led by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are closely connected, and each participates in the process of recognizing the other's reincarnations. The current 11th Panchen Lama,
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was recognized by the
14th 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 named
Gyaincain Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama. Their nomination has been
widely 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.
Lineage of Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo The first Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo, a meditator recognized as a wisdom dakini was one of the main disciples of
Namchö Mingyur Dorje (1645–1667) and sister of Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, Migyur Dorje's Dharma heir and the First Throneholder of
Palyul Monastery (founded 1665). She was credited as being instrumental to the founding of Palyul (now one of the Nyingma's six main or "mother" monasteries) 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. during her enthronement The Third Drubwang
Padma Norbu ("Penor") Rinpoche, 11th Throneholder of Palyul Monastery, former Supreme Head of the
Nyingma tradition 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. Though most of the kapala relic was pulverized into dust during the
Cultural 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 in
Bylakuppe,
Karnataka, India. He gave her the crystal lotus bowl containing the relic of Ahkon Lhamo just prior to the occasion of her enthronement ceremony as
Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at
Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC) in 1988. The relic remains at KPC and is displayed on auspicious days.
Lineage of Jamgon Kongtrul Kongtrul tulkus are the main custodians of
Jamgon Kongtrul (1813–1899). Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician,
tertön and polymath. He is credited as one of the founders of the
Rimé movement (non-sectarian), compiling what is known as the "Five Great Treasuries". He achieved great renown as a scholar and writer, especially among the
Nyingma and
Kagyu lineages and composed over 90 volumes of Buddhist writing, 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 is
Lodrö Chökyi Nyima. He was recognized in August 1996 by
Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th
Karmapa, who gave the name Jamgon Lodro Chokyi Nyima Dronme Chok Thamced Le Nampar Gyalwe De. He was born on November26, 1995, in
Chushur Dzong, near Chushur Dzong, in Central Tibet. This recognition was confirmed by the
14th Dalai Lama,
Sakya Trizin, head of the
Sakya school of
Tibetan Buddhism, and
Mindroling Trichen, former head of the
Nyingma 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".
Lineage of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Khyentse tulkus are the main custodians of the lineage of
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), a teacher, scholar and
tertön of 19th-century
Tibet. He was a leading figure in the
Rimé movement. Several tulkus of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, including those of body
(sku), speech
(gsung), mind
(thugs), qualities
(yon tan) and activity
(), were recognized in Tibet. Of these, the body incarnation was Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chökyi Wangpo, who was enthroned at Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's main seat at
Dzongsar Monastery but died in an accident c. 1909. The activity incarnation
Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who was originally enthroned at
Katok Monastery succeeded him. The speech incarnation was the
Second Beru Khyentse and the mind incarnation
Dilgo 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.
Lineage of Dudjom Lingpa Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) was a Tibetan
meditation master, spiritual teacher and
tertön. He stands out from the norm of
Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the sense that he had no formal education, nor did he take ordination as a
monk or belong to any established
Buddhist school or tradition of his time. His recognized successor,
Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, was more commonly known as Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987). He is considered to be the direct incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa. 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.
Lineage of Thubten Yeshe Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) was a
Tibetan
lama who, while exiled in
Nepal, co-founded
Kopan Monastery (1969) and the
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (1975). He followed the
Gelug tradition, and was considered unconventional in his teaching style. Lama Yeshe died in 1984, 20 minutes before dawn on the first day of
Losar, the Tibetan New Year. His body was cremated at the Vajrapani Institute in
Boulder Creek, California, where there is a
stupa honoring him. in 2018 In 1986, after certain traditional tests, the
Dalai Lama formally recognized
Tenzin Ösel Hita as the
tulku or
reincarnation of
Thubten Yeshe—making him one of only a handful of Western tulkus—and renamed him "Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche" (). 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 by
Vicki Mackenzie,
Reincarnation: The Boy Lama. He is the fifth of nine siblings. ==Process==