Editing Tulku (section)

==Etymology and meaning==
The word སྤྲུལ or 'sprul' (Modern Lhasa Tibetan {{IPA|[ʈʉl]}}) was a verb in Old Tibetan literature and was used to describe the བཙན་པོ་ btsanpo ('emperor'/天子){{Citation needed|reason=Source needed for this claim|date=February 2018}} taking a human form on earth. So the ''sprul'' idea of taking a corporeal form is a local religious idea alien to Indian Buddhism and other forms of Buddhism (e.g. Theravadin or Zen). The term ''tülku'' became associated with the 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: ''[[namarupa|nāmarūpa]]''). Thus, the person of [[Siddhartha Gautama]], the historical Buddha, is an example of nirmanakaya.

Over time, indigenous religious ideas became assimilated by the new Buddhism; e.g. ''sprul'' became part of a compound noun, སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་'sprul.sku' ("incarnation body" or 'tülku', and 'btsan', the term for the imperial ruler of the Tibetan Empire, became a kind of mountain deity). Valentine summarizes the shift in meaning of the word ''tülku'': "This term that was originally used to describe the Buddha as a 'magical emanation' of enlightenment, is best translated as 'incarnation' or 'steadfast incarnation' when used in the context of the tulku system to describe patriarchs that reliably return to human form."{{sfn|Valentine|2013}}

According to the ''Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom'' by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal: the term ''tülku'' "designates one who is 'noble' (or 'selfless' according to Buddha's usage) and used in Buddhist texts to denote a highly achieved being who has attained the first bhumi, a level of attainment which is truly egoless, or higher."{{quote without source|date=November 2023}} Higher [[Vajrayana]] practitioners who have attained siddhis and mastered the [[bardo]] of dying, bardo of dharmata or bardo of becoming can be reborn as a tülkus.{{sfn|Pelzang|2004|p={{page needed|date=November 2023}}}} According to Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang:

{{blockquote|This form of transference is practiced by beginners on the path of accumulating who have received empowerment and respected the samayas, have a good understanding of the view, and have practiced the generation phase as the path but have not mastered it. Although they lack the necessary confidence to be liberated in the clear light at the moment of death or in the intermediate state of absolute reality, by taking refuge and praying to their teacher in the intermediate state they can close the way to an unfavorable womb and choose a favorable rebirth. Propelled by compassion and bodhichitta, they depart to a pure buddhafield or, failing that, take birth as a tulku born to parents who practice the Dharma. In that next life they will be liberated.{{sfn|Pelzang|2004|p={{page needed|date=November 2023}}}} }}

In addition to Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism is a traditional religion in China and Mongolia. The Mongolian word for a ''tülku'' is ''qubilγan'', though such persons may also be called by the honorific title ''qutuγtu'' (Tib: '''phags-pa'' and Skt: ''ārya ''or ''superior'', not to be confused with the historic figure, 'Phags-pa Lama or the script attributed to him, ([['Phags-pa script|''Phags-pa'' script]]), or ''hutagt'' in the standard [[Khalkha Mongolian|Khalkha dialect]]. The Chinese word for ''tülku'' is ''huófó'' (活佛), which literally means "living Buddha".