8/1/2023 0 Comments Email tibetan lamaIn addition to these external tests, more penetrating inner and secret tests employing meditative insight are conducted by capable and experienced masters. This does occasionally happen, but the systematic confirmation of tulkus through a series of tests has always been both more reliable and more acceptable to the community of disciples. One might wonder why such high lamas or oracles do not point out the correct reincarnation directly, rather than engaging in this complicated procedure. This is confirmed primarily through divinations and directives from reliable lamas and oracles. As the ultimate aim is to recognize the correct reincarnation, great care is taken throughout to ensure that the real reincarnate is among the remaining candidates. Only those candidates who survive this preliminary assessment continue to the more detailed and intensive tests. The blossoming of trees, earth tremors and so forth, and omens or significant dreams experienced by the parents must be confirmed. If they see that the tulku has already reincarnated, they may indicate the place, age of the child, and sometimes his home or family. In most cases, the process of recognizing a tulku is begun by consulting a high lama and/or oracle for indications as to where to look. Subsequently, a child is sought and the candidate who passes the series of traditional tests is formally recognized as the tulku, or reincarnation of the deceased lama. If the lama sees benefit in his being reborn in the same area, he accepts the request and reincarnates accordingly. When a high lama shows signs of passing away, his disciples request him to reincarnate and continue his noble work of teaching the Doctrine and liberating ignorant beings. It is within this context that the tradition of recognizing the reincarnations of high lamas came into being in Tibet. However, the time and place of their reappearance is mainly determined by the faith and karma of their disciples. In Mahayana tradition, great Bodhisattvas are bound by their vows not to rest in the peaceful state of liberation, but to reappear repeatedly in the world to help sentient beings. Two basic factors which make the reincarnation of noble beings different from the rebirth of ordinary beings are their freedom to reincarnate at will and their altruistic motivation to help others. However, two basic factors which make the reincarnation of noble beings different from the rebirth of ordinary beings are their freedom to reincarnate at will and their altruistic motivation to help others. A detailed account of the nature and variety of reincarnation of the noble beings would be too extensive and intricate to be given here. sprul-sku, pronounced tulku) refers to the Emanation Body of a Buddha, in general usage it also applies to Bodhisattvas, Aryas, and certain ordinary beings who have achieved the spiritual power to reincarnate according to their own will, with the motivation of helping sentient beings. The Tibetan Tradition of Recognizing Reincarnate LamasĪlthough the original meaning of the term Nirmanakaya (Tib. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here. The following article is from the Spring, 1990 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only.
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