According to the Tibetan’s worldview, highly-developed skilled people are reborn and become Tulkus and they reflect the spiritual cultivation ability of the exhibition.
Tulku is a Tibetan phrase, meaning “transfiguration” or “nirmanakaya”. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is a relic that has been confirmed as a late master.
The lineage can last for centuries & the system provides the main means on which the teachings of various schools of Tibetan Buddhism are based. The system does not exist in other branches of Buddhism.
Who are Tulkus?
It defines incarnations. The word means nirmanakaya, but it is used in ordinary language to refer to any incarnate lama.
The tradition of acknowledging reincarnation masters began with the line of Karmapas in the early 12th century.
The way to find such a gifted child is based either on the precise instructions left by the deceased, or on signs inspired by dreams and visions, and on the intuition of other great lamas.
According to Penor Rinpoche it was traditionally regarded as the reincarnation of a Buddhist master. Out of compassion for the suffering of all beings, he vowed to be born again to help all beings get enlightened.
To realize this desire, these people usually need to go through the entire process of recognition, enthronement, and training.
Formal identification usually takes place shortly after identifying them, but only after consulting other important lineage masters. The newly identified Tulku does not bear any formal responsibility when it is recognized.
How are they Identified and Educated to be Master?
There is an elaborate system to identify and educate young masters.
After the death of an ancient Tulku, a group of respected lamas gathered to find young samsara. They may look for signs that the dead one left or the messages that prove that he will be born again.
You can also consider various other mysterious symbols, such as dreams. They are most often found when he is young. Most but not all, of them are male.
There are many such people in Tibetan Buddhism, including the Dalai Lama & the Maba.
They are only fully recognized when they are two or three years old. They are usually in place at the age of 4 or 5 and enter the monastery at the age of 6.
Each one is privately educated by one of the two tutors. It is possible to raise children with other Turks, but the rules vary for each monastery.
They are even called “Rinpoche” even when he was a child, meaning “precious person”.
The current Dalai Lama is the 14th in the lineage starting in 1391. The 14th Dalai Lama was born in 1937 and his name was Lhamo Döndrub.
At that time, he was only four years old and was identified as Tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama. He is said to have successfully identified the belongings of the 13th Dalai Lama and claimed to be his.
After identification, these people were separated from their families and raised by teachers and servants in the monastery.
It was a lonely life when he studied complex rituals and gradually assumed the responsibilities of the position, but this atmosphere is one of the love and love for this young master.
Depending on the situation, the next step of enthronement may or may not occur. Ascended the throne formally invested in Tulku and was responsible for promoting activities related to its specific descent.
Therefore, if there are specific doctrines and practical traditions related to their lineage, & if there may be monks, nuns, monasteries, retreat centers, lay communities, etc.
Traditionally held by Tulku, then they will officially belong Responsibilities when a person ascends to the throne.
If the enthronement ceremony is held, it may be held shortly after recognition or a few years later. If Tulku is too young to assume responsibility when he is in power, he can entrust others to assume these responsibilities until he is ready.
Finally, they need to complete a formal training course, which includes years of study and meditation.
This training reawakened their insight and compassion and developed their skills to help others. Only after such training can they play the role of master.
How does Tulkus gain control over Rebirth?
We can discuss many things about these reincarnation, but let’s start with how to do it. In Buddhism, we always talk about how everyone continues to be born again, and this is usually beyond our control.
There are two ways to rebirth after death: rebirth under the control of karma and destructive emotions, and rebirth through the power of compassion and prayer.
Regarding the first one, negative & positive karma are produced due to ignorance, and their brand still exists in consciousness.
Through longing and grasping, these are reactivated, thus pushing us to the next life. Then, we involuntarily reborn in higher or lower fields.
This is how ordinary people keep turning around the wheel. Even in this case, ordinary people can diligently actively participate in moral practice in their daily lives.
They are familiar with their advantages, that is, they can be reactivated when they die, providing them with a means to regenerate in a higher state of survival.
On the other hand, the advanced bodhisattva who reached the road of watching and watching was not reborn due to the influence of karma and destructive emotions.
But because of their compassion for all beings and the power of prayer based on the benefit of others.
They can choose their birthplace and time and future parents. Such rebirth is entirely for the benefit of others and is reborn through the power of compassion and prayer.
Therefore, if we want to be able to help others, we need to somehow gain control of this process of death and rebirth, so that we can continue to be in a situation that is best for helping others in the future.
However, it is not necessary to be a Buddha, a fully enlightened person, to be able to do this to be able to exercise some control over our state of rebirth.
We are in many stages of spiritual development that can guide our rebirth. Therefore, let’s take a look at its completion principle, because it is interesting, and it gives us some encouragement, we may be able to do the same.
Meaning and Interpretation
When devotees called it the “honorable title”, Tibetan customs began to use the common name “Tulku” (the divergent form of the bodhisattva) for the reincarnation of recognition, but since then it has become a common expression.
The Emanation Body is divided into three parts:
- The highest released body, such as the Buddha Shakyamuni, a long-standing Buddha statue, which embodies the twelve actions of the Buddha, such as being born in the place he chose.
- Art dissemination manifested as craftsmen, artists, etc. serving others
- The incarnation of the body makes the Buddha appear in various forms, such as human beings, gods, rivers, bridges, medicinal plants, and trees, to help all living beings.
Among the three types of divergent bodies, the reincarnation of the spiritual master recognized in Tibet and called “Tulkus” belongs to the third category.
Among these groups, many may be truly qualified Buddha incarnations, but this may not necessarily apply to everyone.
Among the groups in Tibet, there may be reincarnations of Bodhisattvas, of the road of accumulation and preparation, and masters who have not yet entered the road of these Bodhisattva.
Therefore, the title of Tulku was given to reincarnate the lama, either based on its enlightened creatures or its connection with certain enlightened creatures.
As Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo said:
Reincarnation is what happens when someone takes rebirth after predecessor’s passing away; emanation is when manifestations take place without the source’s passing away.
What are the ways of recognizing reincarnations?
After acknowledging the emergence of their system, various programs dealing with it began to develop and grow. The most important of these is the prediction letter concerning the predecessor and other instructions that may occur.
Reincarnation reliably tells about his previous life and talks about it identifying the property belonging to the predecessor and identifying people close to him.
Other methods include requesting reliable spiritual masters for divination, looking for the predictions of secular prophets that appear through the through a medium.
And observing the sacredness of sacred protectors such as the sacred Lhamoi Latso The vision that appeared in the lake. Lhasa
When it happens that more than one candidate is recognized as them and it is difficult to decide, there is a way to make the final decision by relying on the truth by using the dough ball method (Zen) for divination before calling the divine image power.
Conclusion
Tulkus are often referred to as the “reincarnated” master, but it is important to understand that the master is not the “soul” of rebirth or immigration, because according to Buddhist teachings, the soul cannot be said to exist.
The Turkic people are not reincarnated souls but regarded as the embodiment of the enlightened master in the form of Nirmanakaya.
Therefore, this is a general introduction to the system of these reincarnation lamas.
As I said, we should not just view this as an interesting course in sociology about certain foreign cultures. It makes us think a lot about our lives, death, and rebirth.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Which form of Buddhism has the institution of the Tulku?
Before 1959, his official residence was Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the largest and most influential tradition in Tibet. The institution of the Dalai Lama is a relatively recent one.
What is a Rinpoche in Buddhism?
Rinpoche also spelled Rimboche and Rinboku, is an honorific term used in the Tibetan language. It means “precious one”, and may be used to refer to a person, place, or thing, like the words “gem” or “jewel” (Sanskrit Ratna).
What happened to the Panchen Lama?
Tibetan exiles are calling for China to release a high-ranking monk who disappeared 20 years ago when he was just six years old. The boy was detained by the Chinese authorities just three days after the Dalai Lama declared him to be the reincarnated Panchen Lama.
Is Dalai Lama a Buddha?
The Dalai Lama is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism and traditionally has been responsible for the governing of Tibet, until the Chinese government took control in 1959. The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the largest and most influential tradition in Tibet.
Is the Dalai Lama a living Buddha?
The Chinese government’s self-declared right to choose living Buddhas extends to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama, considered the 14th reincarnation of a 15th-century abbot, has lived in exile since a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Are there any Buddhas alive today?
Shabdrung Rinpoche belongs to Taklung Kagyu, a sub-school of Kagyu. Panchen and Dalai are lineage disciples of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk School. Today reincarnation is the most widely accepted inheritance right among various schools in Tibet. There are currently 358 Living Buddhas in Tibet.
Who are the different Buddhas present till date?
These represent six different types of Buddhas of the past (namely: Vipassī Buddha, Sikhī Buddha, Vessabhū Buddha, Kakusandha Buddha, Koṇāgamana Buddha and Kassapa Buddha) with the current Buddha, Gautama Buddha. Three are symbolized by their stupas, and four by the trees under which each respectively attained enlightenment.