This article is about the Theosophical term. For the Tibetan term Sprul pa(སྤྲུལ་པ་), see Nirmāṇakāya. For the film, see Tulpa (film).
Tulpa is a concept in Theosophy, mysticism, and the paranormal, of an object or being that is created through spiritual or mental powers.[1] Modern practitioners, who call themselves "tulpamancers", use the term to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend which practitioners consider to be sentient and relatively independent.[2][3][4][5]
20th-century Theosophists adapted the Vajrayana concept of the emanation body into the concepts of 'tulpa' and 'thoughtform'.[6] The TheosophistAnnie Besant, in the 1905 book Thought-Forms, divides them into three classes: forms in the shape of the person who creates them, forms that resemble objects or people and may become ensouled by nature spirits or by the dead, and forms that represent inherent qualities from the astral or mental planes, such as emotions.[7] The term 'thoughtform' is also used in Evans-Wentz's 1927 translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.[8] The concept is also used in the Western practice of magic.[9][page needed]
Occultist William Walker Atkinson in his book The Human Aura described thoughtforms as simple ethereal objects emanating from the auras surrounding people, generating from their thoughts and feelings.[10] He further elaborated in Clairvoyance and Occult Powers how experienced practitioners of the occult can produce thoughtforms from their auras that serve as astral projections which may or may not look like the person who is projecting them, or as illusions that can only be seen by those with "awakened astral senses".[11]
Spiritualist Alexandra David-Néel stated that she had observed these[which?] mystical practices in 20th-century Tibet.[1] She described tulpas as "magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought."[12]: 331 David-Néel believed that a tulpa could develop a mind of its own: "Once the tulpa is endowed with enough vitality to be capable of playing the part of a real being, it tends to free itself from its maker's control. According to David-Néel, this happens nearly mechanically, just as the child, when her body is completed and able to live apart, leaves its mother's womb."[12]: 283 She said she had created such a tulpa in the image of a jolly Friar Tuck-like monk, which later developed a life of its own and had to be destroyed.[13] David-Néel raised the possibility that her experience was illusory: "I may have created my own hallucination", though she said others could see the thoughtforms that she created.[12]: 176
Tulpamancers
Influenced by depictions in television and cinema from the 1990s and 2000s, the term tulpa started to be used to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend.[6] Practitioners consider tulpas to be sentient and relatively autonomous.[2] Online communities dedicated to tulpas spawned on the 4chan and Reddit websites. These communities refer to tulpa practitioners as "tulpamancers". The communities gained popularity when adult fans of My Little Pony started discussing tulpas of characters from the My Little Pony television series.[2] The fans attempted to use meditation and lucid dreaming techniques to create imaginary friends.[3][14]
Surveys by Veissière explored this community's demographic, social, and psychological profiles. These practitioners believe a tulpa is a "real or somewhat-real person".[3] The number of active participants in these online communities is in the low hundreds, and few meetings in person have taken place. They belong to "primarily urban, middle-class, Euro-American adolescent and young adult demographics"[3] and they "cite loneliness and social anxiety as an incentive to pick up the practice".[3] 93.7% of respondents expressed that their involvement with the creation of tulpas has "made their condition better",[3] and led to new unusual sensory experiences. Some practitioners have sexual and romantic interactions with their tulpas, though the practice is controversial and trending toward taboo. One survey found that 8.5% support a metaphysical explanation of tulpas, 76.5% support a neurological or psychological explanation, and 14% "other" explanations.[3]
Practitioners believe tulpas are able to communicate with their host in ways they sense do not originate from their own thoughts. Some practitioners report experiencing hallucinations of their tulpas. Practitioners that have hallucinations report being able to see, hear and touch their tulpas.[3] Veissière's survey of 141 respondents found that the rates of autism, ADD and ADHD is significantly higher among the surveyed tulpamancers than in the general population. He goes on to speculate that people may be more likely to want to make a tulpa because these groups have a higher level of loneliness.
^ abCampbell, Eileen; Brennan, J. H.; Holt-Underwood, Fran (1994). "Thoughtform". Body, Mind & Spirit: A Dictionary of New Age Ideas, People, Places, and Terms (Revised ed.). Boston: C. E. Tuttle Company. ISBN080483010X.
^ abcThompson, Nathan (2014-09-03). "The Internet's Newest Subculture Is All About Creating Imaginary Friends". Vice. Vice. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
^ abcdefghVeissière, Samuel (2016), Amir Raz; Michael Lifshitz (eds.), "Varieties of Tulpa Experiences: The Hypnotic Nature of Human Sociality, Personhood, and Interphenomenality", Hypnosis and meditation: Towards an integrative science of conscious planes, Oxford University Press
^"Personality Characteristics of Tulpamancers and Their Tulpas". Bethel University.
^Fernyhough, C.; Watson, A.; Bernini, M.; Moseley, P.; Alderson-Day, B. (2019). "Imaginary Companions, Inner Speech, and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: What Are the Relations?". Front Psychol. 10: 1665. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01665. PMC6682647. PMID 31417448.
^ abMikles, Natasha L.; Laycock, Joseph P. (6 August 2015). "Tracking the Tulpa: Exploring the "Tibetan" Origins of a Contemporary Paranormal Idea". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 19 (1): 87–97. doi:10.1525/nr.2015.19.1.87.
^Besant, Annie; Leadbeater, C. W. (1901). "Three classes of thought-forms". Thought-Forms. The Theosophical Publishing House. from the original on 10 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
^Evans-Wentz, W. T. (2000). The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lāma Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 29–32, 103, 123, 125. ISBN0198030517.
^Cunningham, David Michael; Ellwood, Taylor; Wagener, Amanda R. (2003). Creating Magickal Entities: A Complete Guide to Entity Creation (1st ed.). Perrysburg, Ohio: Egregore Publishing. ISBN9781932517446.
^Panchadsi, Swami (1912). "Thought Form". The Human Aura: Astral Colors and Thought Forms. Yoga Publication Society. pp. 47–54. from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
^Panchadsi, Swami (1916). "Strange astral phenomena". Clairvoyance and Occult Powers. from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
^ abcDavid-Neel, Alexandra; DʼArsonval, A. (2000) [Original French published 1929]. Magic and Mystery in Tibet. Escondido, California: Book Tree. ISBN1585090972.
^Marshall, Richard; Davis, Monte; Moolman, Valerie; Zappler, George (1982). Mysteries of the Unexplained (Reprint ed.). Pleasantville, New York: Reader's Digest Association. p. 176. ISBN0895771462.
^T. M. Luhrmann (2013-10-14). "Conjuring Up Our Own Gods". The New York Times. from the original on 2017-08-12. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
External links
The dictionary definition of tulpa at Wiktionary
The dictionary definition of thoughtform at Wiktionary
January 13, 2023
tulpa, this, article, about, theosophical, term, tibetan, term, sprul, nirmāṇakāya, film, film, concept, theosophy, mysticism, paranormal, object, being, that, created, through, spiritual, mental, powers, modern, practitioners, call, themselves, tulpamancers, . This article is about the Theosophical term For the Tibetan term Sprul pa ས ལ པ see Nirmaṇakaya For the film see Tulpa film Tulpa is a concept in Theosophy mysticism and the paranormal of an object or being that is created through spiritual or mental powers 1 Modern practitioners who call themselves tulpamancers use the term to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend which practitioners consider to be sentient and relatively independent 2 3 4 5 This article contains Indic text Without proper rendering support you may see question marks or boxes misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text Contents 1 Theosophy and thoughtforms 1 1 Alexandra David Neel 2 Tulpamancers 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksTheosophy and thoughtforms Edit Thoughtform of the Music of Gounod according to Annie Besant and C W Leadbeater in Thought Forms 1905 20th century Theosophists adapted the Vajrayana concept of the emanation body into the concepts of tulpa and thoughtform 6 The Theosophist Annie Besant in the 1905 book Thought Forms divides them into three classes forms in the shape of the person who creates them forms that resemble objects or people and may become ensouled by nature spirits or by the dead and forms that represent inherent qualities from the astral or mental planes such as emotions 7 The term thoughtform is also used in Evans Wentz s 1927 translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead 8 The concept is also used in the Western practice of magic 9 page needed Occultist William Walker Atkinson in his book The Human Aura described thoughtforms as simple ethereal objects emanating from the auras surrounding people generating from their thoughts and feelings 10 He further elaborated in Clairvoyance and Occult Powers how experienced practitioners of the occult can produce thoughtforms from their auras that serve as astral projections which may or may not look like the person who is projecting them or as illusions that can only be seen by those with awakened astral senses 11 Alexandra David Neel Edit This section relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this section by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Tulpa news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Spiritualist Alexandra David Neel stated that she had observed these which mystical practices in 20th century Tibet 1 She described tulpas as magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought 12 331 David Neel believed that a tulpa could develop a mind of its own Once the tulpa is endowed with enough vitality to be capable of playing the part of a real being it tends to free itself from its maker s control According to David Neel this happens nearly mechanically just as the child when her body is completed and able to live apart leaves its mother s womb 12 283 She said she had created such a tulpa in the image of a jolly Friar Tuck like monk which later developed a life of its own and had to be destroyed 13 David Neel raised the possibility that her experience was illusory I may have created my own hallucination though she said others could see the thoughtforms that she created 12 176 Tulpamancers EditInfluenced by depictions in television and cinema from the 1990s and 2000s the term tulpa started to be used to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend 6 Practitioners consider tulpas to be sentient and relatively autonomous 2 Online communities dedicated to tulpas spawned on the 4chan and Reddit websites These communities refer to tulpa practitioners as tulpamancers The communities gained popularity when adult fans of My Little Pony started discussing tulpas of characters from the My Little Pony television series 2 The fans attempted to use meditation and lucid dreaming techniques to create imaginary friends 3 14 Surveys by Veissiere explored this community s demographic social and psychological profiles These practitioners believe a tulpa is a real or somewhat real person 3 The number of active participants in these online communities is in the low hundreds and few meetings in person have taken place They belong to primarily urban middle class Euro American adolescent and young adult demographics 3 and they cite loneliness and social anxiety as an incentive to pick up the practice 3 93 7 of respondents expressed that their involvement with the creation of tulpas has made their condition better 3 and led to new unusual sensory experiences Some practitioners have sexual and romantic interactions with their tulpas though the practice is controversial and trending toward taboo One survey found that 8 5 support a metaphysical explanation of tulpas 76 5 support a neurological or psychological explanation and 14 other explanations 3 Practitioners believe tulpas are able to communicate with their host in ways they sense do not originate from their own thoughts Some practitioners report experiencing hallucinations of their tulpas Practitioners that have hallucinations report being able to see hear and touch their tulpas 3 Veissiere s survey of 141 respondents found that the rates of autism ADD and ADHD is significantly higher among the surveyed tulpamancers than in the general population He goes on to speculate that people may be more likely to want to make a tulpa because these groups have a higher level of loneliness See also EditAlter ego Bicameral mentality Cryptid Dissociative identity disorder Doppelganger Egregore Etiainen Guardian angel Homunculus Imaginary friend Rebirth Reincarnation Servitor Takwin Thoughtography The Circular Ruins A Bao A QuReferences Edit a b Campbell Eileen Brennan J H Holt Underwood Fran 1994 Thoughtform Body Mind amp Spirit A Dictionary of New Age Ideas People Places and Terms Revised ed Boston C E Tuttle Company ISBN 080483010X a b c Thompson Nathan 2014 09 03 The Internet s Newest Subculture Is All About Creating Imaginary Friends Vice Vice Retrieved 2020 01 25 a b c d e f g h Veissiere Samuel 2016 Amir Raz Michael Lifshitz eds Varieties of Tulpa Experiences The Hypnotic Nature of Human Sociality Personhood and Interphenomenality Hypnosis and meditation Towards an integrative science of conscious planes Oxford University Press Personality Characteristics of Tulpamancers and Their Tulpas Bethel University Fernyhough C Watson A Bernini M Moseley P Alderson Day B 2019 Imaginary Companions Inner Speech and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations What Are the Relations Front Psychol 10 1665 doi 10 3389 fpsyg 2019 01665 PMC 6682647 PMID 31417448 a b Mikles Natasha L Laycock Joseph P 6 August 2015 Tracking the Tulpa Exploring the Tibetan Origins of a Contemporary Paranormal Idea Nova Religio The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 19 1 87 97 doi 10 1525 nr 2015 19 1 87 Besant Annie Leadbeater C W 1901 Three classes of thought forms Thought Forms The Theosophical Publishing House Archived from the original on 10 December 2016 Retrieved 26 April 2017 Evans Wentz W T 2000 The Tibetan Book of the Dead Or The After Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane according to Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup s English Rendering New York Oxford University Press pp 29 32 103 123 125 ISBN 0198030517 Cunningham David Michael Ellwood Taylor Wagener Amanda R 2003 Creating Magickal Entities A Complete Guide to Entity Creation 1st ed Perrysburg Ohio Egregore Publishing ISBN 9781932517446 Panchadsi Swami 1912 Thought Form The Human Aura Astral Colors and Thought Forms Yoga Publication Society pp 47 54 Archived from the original on 3 October 2016 Retrieved 26 April 2017 Panchadsi Swami 1916 Strange astral phenomena Clairvoyance and Occult Powers Archived from the original on 26 June 2009 Retrieved 26 April 2017 a b c David Neel Alexandra DʼArsonval A 2000 Original French published 1929 Magic and Mystery in Tibet Escondido California Book Tree ISBN 1585090972 Marshall Richard Davis Monte Moolman Valerie Zappler George 1982 Mysteries of the Unexplained Reprint ed Pleasantville New York Reader s Digest Association p 176 ISBN 0895771462 T M Luhrmann 2013 10 14 Conjuring Up Our Own Gods The New York Times Archived from the original on 2017 08 12 Retrieved 2017 04 22 External links Edit The dictionary definition of tulpa at Wiktionary The dictionary definition of thoughtform at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tulpa amp oldid 1113879179, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
