KATHERINE V. MASÍS-IVERSON
THE TULKU TRADITION
According to Tibetan Buddhism, tulkus are reincarnations of teachers, usually noted for their knowledge of Buddhist texts, their abilities in teaching the Dharma, and their skills in meditative practices. Leaving aside discussions regarding the concept of anatman or anatta (non-soul), Tibetan Buddhism establishes a distinction between the automatic rebirth of the citta santana, or mental flow from one life to another, and the deliberate reincarnation chosen by a master in a life prior to the current one. Reincarnation is voluntary and specific to the tulkus, while rebirth is involuntary and typical of all the other sentient beings. In both cases, of course, karma –or the complex web of causes and effects– comes into play.
The traditional process required to identify a tulku involves several steps. The most like-minded disciples follow clues and instructions left by their deceased master as to where he would reincarnate in his next life. They search for the reincarnated child in the area where he is most likely to have been born and, once located, he is subjected to some preliminary tests that basically consist of identifying objects related to his past reincarnation, when he was a teacher. Later, a council of monks may test the boy further to make sure he is a tulku.
Before he is found, it is not unusual that a reincarnated tulku has dreams, memories or visions associated with some past life, usually the immediately previous one. The purpose of a noted master reincarnating again is to fulfil his role as a bodhisattva, a being with capacity to reach the state of nirvana thanks to his refined spiritual evolution over many lifetimes. Nevertheless, he refrains from it because he feels compassion for the pain of all sentient beings and thus returns to help them.
Once a tulku is identified, there is an enthronement ceremony that formalizes his status as a reincarnated teacher, followed by an extended period of education that takes place in a Buddhist monastery. Once his training is completed, the tulku-bodhisattva formally teaches Buddhist texts and practices such as chanting, meditation, etc. and thus he accomplishes his purpose of helping others.
The tulku tradition has been defended as a system to guarantee the continuation of the line of well-qualified Tibetan Buddhist teachers, but, at the same time, it has been questioned due to the possibility of error when identifying them. The education system for the tulkus has also been put into question, since there is a risk that they may believe themselves special and deserving of privileges, rather than servants in the Dharma.
Since the first Karmapa had a vision of his upcoming reincarnation in the late 12th century, tulkus have generally been reincarnated in Tibet or surrounding regions. There are discussions regarding who was the first tulku identified as such in the West, but the general consensus is that before the 20th century none had been identified.
Memoiries d’un autre vie / Memories of a Previous Life (2011)
The first scenes take place in Canada and introduce the parents and two sisters of Elijah Ary, whose Buddhist name would be Tenzin Sherab. Carol, Elijah’s mother, shares some dreams and memories her son had as a child, which alluded to places that he would not have been able to visit at his young age. Carol and her husband, students of Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa line, mentioned Elijah’s dreams to some teachers in Montreal, who began to suspect that he might be a tulku. Eventually, these same teachers began a process of finding out who Elijah was in his previous reincarnation.
At the age of seven, Elijah was officially identified as the reincarnation of Geshe Jatse who, according to Elijah -or Tenzin Sherab in the film, was not a renowned teacher, but a “simple monk.”
When Elijah turned twelve, Carol accompanied him to Sera Jhe Monastery in southern India to begin his monastic education, which would last approximately a decade.
Past the opening scenes, the documentary follows Tenzin Sherab as a young adult in the monastery. The camera shows him eating, preparing tea, spending quality time with other monks, meditating, participating in ceremonies, and debating Buddhist texts. The camera also follows him as he searches for a Phil Collins CD in the streets of Mysore, “two hours from the monastery” and while he has fun with his family visiting a nearby beach. It is Tenzin himself who narrates his thoughts and feelings in each scene, in both the French and English versions of the documentary.
In the last minutes of the film, Tenzin Sherab says that his future is in the West and he needs to return, since “the Dalai Lama once told me that I could be of great help in serving as a bridge between the ancient spiritual traditions of Tibet and modern world of the West.” This decision saddens him because it implies leaving behind the friendships built at the monastery, but Tenzin is sure of his path.
Tulku (2009)
Gesar Mukpo, director and filmmaker of the documentary Tulku, was identified as a reincarnation of a teacher as a child. Son of Chögyam Trungpa (1939-1987), who in turn was a tulku of the Kagyu line of Tibetan Buddhism, Gesar travels through the United States of America, India and Nepal, interviewing four more tulkus, all men born in North America and Europe during the 1970s and 1980s, and identified as such in their infancy.
Although Gesar was enthroned as a child, he did not receive prolonged formal monastic education. He was in a monastery in Nepal from the ages of fifteen to sixteen, and then he called his mother, British Diana Mukpo, to take him back home to the West. Although he says he “feels proud to be a tulku,” he also admits not knowing if interrupting his monastic training it was a good decision. In the last scenes of the film, we see him hug his little daughter upon returning home to Nova Scotia, Canada.
The first person Gesar interviews in the United States is Dylan Henderson, who had no monastic training. He narrates his story in a serene fashion and expresses no concern about what his role as a tulku should or could be. He leads a completely secular life as father of a family. He practices diving, which, for him, is a form of meditation.
The second interviewee, also in the United States, is Ashoka Mukpo, Gesar’s own brother. Ashoka doesn’t see himself as a teacher wearing “monk’s robes.” At the time of filming, he feels that his work in the secular world on behalf of human rights is a way of helping others and, as such, a way to practice Buddhism.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/14/western-tulku-buddhist-film-festival
The third interviewee is Wyatt Arnold, an American who receives Tibetan monastic education in India. Wyatt claims to have had, as a child, memories of his previous reincarnation. He admits feeling confused about other people’s expectations regarding his role as tulku and about what he should do with his life in general.
Gesar travels to Nepal to interview the fourth and last tulku. The Dutchman Ruben Derksen who, like Wyatt, claims having had memories of his previous life when he was a child. Having lived in Nepal and Bhutan, Ruben describes behaviours that he calls “non-Buddhist” in some monasteries: jealousy, gossip, abuse and mistreatment of children. Every year he travels to Bhutan to officiate a ceremony for the sole reason that this makes the Bhutanese who attend it “incredibly happy.” When Gesar asks him if he is still a Buddhist, Ruben answers that he is not and admits not knowing what he believes in.
*This article was originally published in Buddhistdoor en Español.
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