A tulku (, also tülku, trulku) is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who has through phowa and siddhi consciously determined to be reborn, often many times, in order to continue their Bodhisattva vow. The most famous example is the lineage of Dalai Lamas, who are held to be reincarnations of the previous thirteen Dalai Lamas, beginning with Gendun Drup (1391 ? 1474). It is held in the Vajrayana tradition that the oldest lineage of tulkus is that of the Karmapas (spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu lineage), which began with Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193). Meaning The term tülku is the Tibetan 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: n?mar?pa). Thus, the person of Siddhartha Gautama, the h

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # TAGS