Editing Tulku (section)

==History==
In a strict sense, ''tulku'' is a Tibetan translation of the [[Sanskrit]] ''[[nirmāṇakāya]]'', which refers to the "transformation" or "emanation body" of a [[Buddha]]. ''Tulku'' is therefore the physical "form in which a Buddha appears to ordinary beings."{{sfn | Ary | 2012 | pp=399–400}}

A related term in Tibetan is ''yangsi'' (literally "rebirth" or "re-becoming") which refers to an enlightened master who has returned to earthly existence for the sake of benefitting sentient beings. While the notion of a nirmāṇakāya is found throughout [[Mahayana]] Buddhism, and is integral to the doctrine of the ''[[trikaya]]'' ("Three Bodies"), the concept of the ''yangsi'' is uniquely Tibetan. Tulku, as a title, refers to one who is recognized as the yangsi of a master.{{sfn | Ary | 2012 | pp=400–401}}

It arose in the context of a political vacuum spurred by the assassination of [[Ralpachen]], which saw monastic centers develop political power in a second spreading of Buddhism in Tibet.{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p=44}} It had "purely politico-mercantile origins and functions"{{sfn|Ary|2012|p=409}} and later became a significant spiritual institution. However, some commentators argue that the political shift was "grafted onto the tradition of recognizing reincarnations, not the other way around."{{sfn|Ary|2012|p=409}} [[Turrell V. Wylie]] wrote that the tulku system "developed in Tibetan Buddhism primarily for political reasons"{{sfn|Ray|1986|p=37}} while Reginald Ray argued that such a view ignores "miss[es] what is perhaps its most distinctive feature" which is its "important ideological and religious dimensions",{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p={{page needed|date=November 2023}}}} being "deeply rooted" in the ''[[bodhisattva]]'' concept.{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p=37}}

Tulku have been associated with ruling power since its origination, expressing indigenous Tibetan notions of kingship.{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p=43}} This system supplanted the earlier model of monastic governance, in which a celibate religious head acted as abbot, while his brother, a married administrative head, continued the family line, with his eldest son becoming the next religious head, creating an uncle-nephew system of inheritance.{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p=45}} The first recognized tulku was perhaps [[Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama]].{{sfn | Oldmeadow | 2001 | p=269}}

[[Giuseppe Tucci]] traced the origin of the tulku concept to [[Vajrayana#History|Indian Vajrayana]], particularly in a fragmentary biography of [[Maitripada]] he discovered in [[Nepal]].{{sfn| Ray | 1986 | p=42}} The tulku system of preserving Dharma lineages developed in Tibet after the 12th century, with the first recognized tulku being perhaps [[Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama]].{{sfn |Oldmeadow|2001|p=269}} Foreign tulkus have been identified since at least the sixteenth century, when the grandson of the Mongol [[Altan Khan]] was recognized as the [[4th Dalai Lama]]. The [[Buddhism in Mongolia|Mongol conversion to Buddhism]] served a political function and allowed [[Tibet]] to build a closer relationship with the Mongol [[Yuan Dynasty]].{{sfn | Bhushan | Garfield | Zablocki | 2009 | p=45}} Traditionally, however, tulku were only recognized from Tibetan cultural areas, encompassing Tibet, Nepal, [[Mongolia]], and [[Bhutan]].{{sfn | Ary | 2012 | p=398}}

The [[Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China|Chinese annexation of Tibet]] in 1959 created massive social upheaval. This intensified during the [[Cultural Revolution]] which brought irreparable damage to the institutions and traditions which constitute Tibetan Buddhism as one of the [[Four Olds]]. As a result, Tibetan Buddhism has flourished in areas of Tibetan culture not under Chinese rule, such as Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of [[North India]]. In India, the traditional monastic system is largely intact and the tulku system remains politically relevant.{{sfn | Oldmeadow | 2001 | p=266-267}} Compounded with the inherent transnational character of [[proselytization|proselytizing]] religions, Tibetan Buddhism is "pulled between the need to adapt itself and the need to preserve itself".{{sfn | Bhushan | Garfield | Zablocki | 2009 | p=44}}

[[Buddhism in the West|Westerners]] began taking an interest in Tibetan Buddhism during the [[1960s counterculture|counterculture]] of the 1960s, and Tibetan Buddhism became popular among western Buddhists and they began to be recognized as incarnations of Buddhist masters around this time.{{sfn|Nattier|1995}}{{sfn | Oldmeadow | 2001 | p=267}} Most of these, however, were [[expatriate]] Tibetans or Tibetans of [[Mixed race|mixed heritage]], such as the son of [[Chögyam Trungpa]]. Initially, Westerners were not recognized as tulkus by the wider Tibetan diaspora.{{sfn | deJong | 1974 | pp=55–106}}{{sfn|Ary|2012|p=410}}

The recognition of Westerners as tulkus began in the 1970s, following the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to modern Western countries such as the [[United States]].{{sfn|Ary|2012|pp=398–427}}{{sfn|Atay|D'Silva|2019|p=222}}{{sfn|Moran|2004}}{{sfn|Bhushan|Garfield|Zablocki|2009|}}{{excessive citations inline|date=November 2023}} The first recognized Western tulku was Dylan Henderson, an American boy identified as his father's teacher, or alternatively Ossian MacLise. MacLise, however, was born in [[Kathmandu, Nepal]].{{sfn|Juhasz|Lebow|2015|p=351}}{{sfn|Liechty|2017|pp=364}}
<!-- need to include all the other notable tulku lineages in historical order here -->

===Lineage of the Karmapas===
{{further|Karmapa|Karmapa controversy}}
[[Image:Karmapa2.jpg|upright|thumb|left|The second Karmapa was the first tulku.]]
[[Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama]] ({{bo|w=Dus gsum Mkhyen pa}}, 1110–1193), was a disciple of the Tibetan master [[Gampopa]]. A talented child who studied Buddhism with his father from an early age and who sought out great teachers in his twenties and thirties, he is said to have attained [[bodhi|enlightenment]] at the age of fifty while practicing [[dream yoga]]. He was henceforth regarded by the contemporary highly respected masters Shakya Śri and Lama Shang as the Karmapa, a manifestation of [[Avalokiteśvara]], whose coming was predicted in the ''[[Samadhiraja Sutra]]''{{sfn|Thrangu Rinpoche|1993}} and the ''[[Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra]]''.<ref>[http://www.buddhistinformation.com/lankavatara_sutra.htm The Lankavatara Sutra] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060113184106/http://www.buddhistinformation.com/lankavatara_sutra.htm |date=2006-01-13 }}</ref>

The Karmapa is a long line of consciously reborn lamas. A Karmapa's identity is confirmed through a combination realized [[lama|lineage teachers]] supernatural insight, prediction letters left by the previous Karmapa, and the young child's own self-proclamation and ability to identify objects and people known to its previous incarnation.{{sfn|Karma Thinley Rinpoche|1980 |pp=44,81,89,95,109,110,113,115,119,121,125,129}}{{sfn|Levin|2013|p=xx}}

After the [[first Karmapa]] died in 1193, a lama had recurrent visions of a particular child as his [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]]. This child (born {{Circa|1205}}) was recognized as the [[Karma Pakshi, 2nd Karmapa Lama]] (1204–1283), thus beginning the Tibetan tulku tradition. Karma Pakshi was the first recognized tulku in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] that predicted the circumstances of his rebirth.{{sfn|Melnick|2007}}{{sfn|Wong|2010|p=2}}

The 8th, 10th, and 12th incarnations, as well as the [[Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa#Controversy and Recognition as Karmapa|16th Karmapa]], each faced conflicts during their recognition,{{sfn|Thrangu Rinpoche|n.d.}} which were ultimately resolved. There was a [[Karmapa controversy|controversy]] over the enthronement of two 17th Karmapas.

=== Lineage of the Dalai Lamas===
{{main|Dalai Lama}}
[[File:Tsongkapa, thangka from Tibet in the 15th-century, painting on cloth - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Tsongkapa, 15th-century painting, [[Rubin Museum of Art]] ]]
Gendun Drup (1391–1474), a disciple of the founder [[Je Tsongkhapa|Je Tsongkapa]],<ref name="陈庆英2005_p15">{{cite book|author=陈庆英|title=达赖喇嘛转世及历史定制英|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=haMIsdC3iZwC&pg=PA15|year=2005|publisher=五洲传播出版社|isbn=978-7-5085-0745-3|pages=16–}}</ref> was the ordination name of the monk who came to be known as the '[[First Dalai Lama]]', but only from 104 years after he died.{{sfn|Richardson|1984|pp=40–41}} There had been resistance, since first he was ordained a monk in the Kadampa tradition{{sfn|Shakabpa|1967|p={{page needed|date=November 2023}}}} and for various reasons, for hundreds of years the Kadampa school had eschewed the adoption of the ''tulku'' system to which the older schools adhered.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|p=87}} [[Tsongkhapa]] largely modelled his new, reformed [[Gelugpa]] school on the Kadampa tradition and refrained from starting a tulku system.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|pp=94–95}} Therefore, although Gendun Drup grew to be a very important Gelugpa lama, after he died in 1474 there was no question of any search being made to identify his incarnation.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|p=87}}

Despite this, when the Tashilhunpo monks started hearing what seemed credible accounts that an incarnation of Gendun Drup had appeared nearby and repeatedly announced himself from the age of two, their curiosity was aroused.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|pp=90–95}} It was some 55 years after Tsongkhapa's death when eventually, the monastic authorities saw compelling evidence that convinced them the child in question was indeed the incarnation of their founder. They felt obliged to break with their own tradition and in 1487, the boy was renamed [[Gendun Gyatso]] and installed at Tashilhunpo as Gendun Drup's tulku, albeit informally.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|pp=95–96}}

Gendun Gyatso died in 1542 and the lineage of Dalai Lama tulkus finally became firmly established when the third incarnation, [[3rd Dalai Lama|Sonam Gyatso]] (1543–1588), came forth. He made himself known as the ''tulku'' of Gendun Gyatso and was formally recognised and enthroned at Drepung in 1546.{{sfn|Mullin|2001|pp=137–8}} When Gendun Gyatso was given the titular name "Dalai Lama" by the Tümed [[Altan Khan]] in 1578,{{sfn|Tagliacozzo|2015|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rKLrBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT153 153]}} his two predecessors were accorded the title posthumously and he became known as the third in the lineage.{{sfn|Richardson|1984|pp=40–41}}

=== Lineage of the Tai Situpas ===
{{main|Tai Situpa}}
[[File:Tai Situ Rinpoche Thankha.jpeg|upright|thumb|''[[Thangka]]'' of Tai Situ]]

The [[Tai Situpa]] lineage is one of the oldest tulku lineages in the [[Kagyu]] school of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]<ref name="palpung">[http://www.palpung.com/rinpoche.php History of the Tai Situpas]</ref> In Tibetan Buddhism tradition, Kenting Tai Situpa is considered as emanation of Bodhisattva [[Maitreya]] and [[Padmasambhava]] and who has been incarnated numerous times as [[India]]n and [[Tibet]]an [[yogi]]s since the time of the [[Gautama Buddha|historical Buddha]].<ref name="palpung" />

[[Chokyi Gyaltsen]] was the first to bear the title "Grand [[Situ (office)|Situ]]" ({{zh |c = 大司徒 |p = Dà Sītú }}), conferred upon him in 1407 by the [[Yongle Emperor]] of [[Ming dynasty|Ming China]]. He was a close disciple of [[Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama]], who appointed him [[abbot]] of Karma Goen, the Karmapa's principal [[monastery]] at the time. The full title bestowed was ''Kenting Naya Tang Nyontse Geshetse Tai Situpa'' which is shortened to ''Kenting Tai Situ''. The full title means "far reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the command".{{sfn|Hollmann|2006}}

The current Tai Situpa, [[Pema Tönyö Nyinje]], is the 12th.{{sfn|Jamgon Kongtrul|1997|p=166}} He is the head of [[Palpung Monastery]].

===Lineage of Samding Dorje Phagmo===
{{main|Samding Dorje Phagmo}}
[[File:Dorje Phagmo incarnation in 16th century mural at Myemo Chekar.png|upright|thumb|left|Mural depiction of [[Chökyi Drönma]], the first incarnation of Samding Dorje Phagmo, at [[Nyêmo Chekar monastery]] ]]
The [[Samding Dorje Phagmo]] ({{bo|t=བསམ་སྡིང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ}}) is the highest female tulku in Tibet{{sfn|Dowman|1988|p=268}} and the third highest-ranking person in the hierarchy after the [[Dalai Lama]] and the [[Panchen Lama]].{{sfn|Mullin|2001|p=175}} She was listed among the highest-ranking reincarnations at the time of the [[5th Dalai Lama]], recognized by the Tibetan government and acknowledged by the emperors of [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]].{{sfn|Diemberger|2007|p=2}} In her first incarnation, as [[Chökyi Drönma]] (1422–1455 [[Common Era|CE]]), she was the student and consort of the famous polymath [[Thang Tong Gyalpo]],{{sfn|Stearns|2007|p=4ff}} who first identified her as an emanation of [[Vajravārāhī]],{{sfn|Diemberger|2007|p= 46–47}} and the consort of Bodong Panchen.{{sfn|Stearns|2007|p=554, n.837}} The seat of the Samding Dorje Phagmo is at [[Samding Monastery]], in Tibet.

The current (12th) Samding Dorje Pakmo Trülku is Dechen Chökyi Drönma, who was born in 1938 or 1942. Dechen Chökyi Drönma was very young at the [[Incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China|time of the Chinese occupation]], and her exact date of birth is contested.{{sfn|Diemberger|2007|p=299–300}} Dechen Chökyi Drönma was recognised by the present [[14th Dalai Lama]] as a true incarnation and served as a vice president of the [[Buddhist Association of China]] in 1956 while he was president, and [[Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama]] also as vice president. She went to Lhasa in 1958 and received the empowerment of [[Yamantaka]] from the Dalai Lama and the empowerment of [[Vajrayogini]] from the Dalai Lama's tutor, [[Trijang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso]].{{sfn|Diemberger|2007|p=302-303}} She has been trained in the Bodongpa tradition and remains the head of the [[Samding Monastery]]. She simultaneously holds the post of a high government cadre in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]. She has as a result been accused of collaborating with the Chinese.{{sfn|French|2003|p=220}}{{sfn|Willis|1984|p=20}}
{{clear}}

===Lineage of the Trungpa tülkus===
{{main|Trungpa tülkus}}
[[File:Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.jpg|thumb|Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the 11th Trungpa tülku]]

The Trungpa tülkus are a line of incarnate [[Tibet]]an [[lama]]s who traditionally head Surmang monastery complex in [[Kham]], now [[Surmang]]. There have been twelve such Trungpa tulkus. They are members of the [[Karma Kagyu]] tradition as well as the [[Nyingma]] tradition. These tulkus are recognized as reincarnations of Künga Gyaltsen (15th century), a student of Trungmase.

The 11th Trungpa tulku was [[Chögyam Trungpa]] (1940–1987). He was one of the most influential teachers of [[Buddhism in the West]] and founded [[Shambhala Buddhism]].

[[Choseng Trungpa]] Rinpoche is the 12th and current Trungpa tulku.{{sfn|Midal|2005|p=18}}

===Lineage of the Zhabdrung Rinpoches===
In [[Bhutan]], the title Zhabdrung Rinpoche refers to [[Ngawang Namgyal]] (1594–1651), the founder of the Bhutanese state, or one of his successive [[reincarnation]]s. Following his death, the ruling authorities in Bhutan were faced with the problem of succession. To neutralize the power of future Zhabdrung incarnations, the Druk Desi, Je Khenpo and penlops conspired to recognize not a single person but rather as three separate persons—a ''body incarnation'' (''Ku tulku''), a ''mind incarnation'' (''Thu tulku'' or ''Thugtrul''), and a ''speech incarnation'' (''Sung tulku'' or ''Sungtrul''). In spite of their efforts to consolidate the power established by the original Zhabdrung, the country sank into warring factionalism for the next 200 years. The body incarnation lineage died out in the mid-18th century, while the mind and speech incarnations of the Zhabdrung continued into the 20th century. The mind incarnation was the one generally recognized as the ''Zhabdrung''.{{sfn|Rose|1977|pp=26–28}}

Besides the mind incarnation, there was also a line of claimants for the speech incarnation.  At the time the monarchy was founded in 1907, Choley Yeshe Ngodub (or Chogley Yeshey Ngodrup) was the speech incarnation and also served as the last Druk Desi. After his death in 1917, he was succeeded by Chogley Jigme Tenzin (1919–1949).{{sfn|Dorji|Wangchuck|1999|p=13}} The next claimant, unrecognized by the Bhutan government, lived at [[Tawang district#Tawang Monastery|Tawang monastery]] in India and was evacuated to the western Himalayas during the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]].{{sfn|Rose|1977|p=28}}

Another line of claimants to be the mind incarnation of Ngawang Namgyal existed in Tibet, and was represented by [[Namkhai Norbu]], who lived in Italy.

===Lineage of the Panchen Lamas===
{{main|Panchen Lama}}

[[File:Khedrup Je.jpg|thumb|[[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, 1st Panchen Lama]]]]

The recognition of Panchen Lamas began with [[Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen]], tutor of the [[5th Dalai Lama]], who received the title "Panchen Bogd" from [[Altan Khan]] and the Dalai Lama in 1645.{{Sfn|Chuluun|Bulag|2013|p=17}} ''Bogd'' is Mongolian, meaning "holy".{{sfn|Lessing|1960}} [[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang]], [[Sönam Choklang]] and [[Ensapa Lobsang Döndrup]] were subsequently recognized as the first to third Panchen Lamas posthumously.

In 1713, the [[Kangxi Emperor]] of the [[Qing dynasty]] granted the title ''Panchen Erdeni'' to the [[5th Panchen Lama]]. In 1792, the [[Qianlong Emperor]] issued a decree known as the [[29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet]], and Article One of the decree was designed to be used in the selection of rinpoches, lamas and other high offices within Tibetan Buddhism, including the Dalai Lamas, Panchen Lamas and Mongolian lamas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reincarnation |url=http://www.dalailama.com/messages/statement-of-his-holiness-the-fourteenth-dalai-lama-tenzin-gyatso-on-the-issue-of-his-reincarnation |publisher=[[14th Dalai Lama]] |date=September 24, 2011 |access-date=December 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eng.tibet.cn/culture/tibetan_buddhism/1449128868125.shtml |title=Origin of "drawing lots from the golden urn"_Tibetan Buddhism_TIBET |website=eng.tibet.cn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401004649/http://eng.tibet.cn/culture/tibetan_buddhism/1449128868125.shtml |archive-date=2018-04-01}}</ref>

Traditionally, the Panchen Lama is the head of [[Tashilhunpo Monastery]], and holds religious and secular power over the [[Ü-Tsang|Tsang]] region centered in [[Shigatse]], independent of the [[Ganden Podrang]] authority led by the Dalai Lama.{{sfn|Goldstein|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernt00melv/page/267 267]}}{{sfn|Goldstein|Sherap|Siebenschuh|2004|p=[https://archive.org/details/tibetanrevolutio0000gold/page/161 161]}} The Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are closely connected, and each participates in the process of recognizing the other's reincarnations.<ref name="choosing">{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21526388 |title=China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama |newspaper=[[The Economist]]}}</ref>

The current 11th Panchen Lama, [[Gedhun Choekyi Nyima]], was recognized by the [[14th Dalai Lama]] on 14 May 1995. Three days later, the six-year-old Panchen Lama was kidnapped by the Chinese government and his family was taken into custody. The Chinese government instead named [[Gyaincain Norbu]] as the 11th Panchen Lama. Their nomination has been [[11th Panchen Lama controversy|widely rejected]] by Buddhists in Tibet and abroad, while governments have called for information about and the release of the Panchen Lama. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has never been publicly seen since 1995.<ref name="secret">{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dorjee-tseten/chinas-worst-kept-secret-_b_7308598.html |title=China's Worst Kept Secret: 5 Facts About the Abduction of Tibet's Panchen Lama |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref><ref name="fake">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/06/china-says-panchen-lama-living-a-normal-life-20-years-after-disappearance |title=China says Panchen Lama 'living a normal life' 20 years after disappearance |date=September 6, 2015 |access-date=June 24, 2008 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London}}</ref>

=== Lineage of Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo ===
The first Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo, a meditator recognized as a wisdom dakini{{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=186}} was one of the main disciples of [[Namchö Mingyur Dorje]] (1645–1667){{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=186}} and sister of Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, Migyur Dorje's Dharma heir{{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=62}} and the First Throneholder of [[Palyul]] Monastery (founded 1665).{{sfn|Mackenzie|1996|pp=61–5}} She was credited as being instrumental to the founding of Palyul (now one of the Nyingma's six main or "mother" monasteries{{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=9}}) and for leaving a relic that is important to Palyul. During the cremation of her body, her kapala (top half of the skull) is said to have flown three kilometers and come to rest at the foot of the teaching throne of her brother. Found to be miraculously embossed with the sacred syllable AH, the kapala became an important relic housed at Palyul monastery in Tibet.{{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=186}}

[[File:Jetsunma akhon lhamo enthronement 1998.jpg|thumb|Western tulku [[Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo]] during her enthronement]]

The Third Drubwang [[Penor Rinpoche|Padma Norbu ("Penor") Rinpoche]], 11th Throneholder of Palyul Monastery, former Supreme Head of the [[Nyingma]] tradition{{sfn|Sherrill|2000|p=7}} was recognized as a tulku and brought to Palyul Monastery in 1936 at the age of four. He recounted that as a young tulku in Tibet, inspired by seeing the skull relic, he made prayers to find Ahkon Lhamo's incarnation.{{sfn|Zangpo|1988|p=186}}{{sfn|Sherrill|2000|p=135}} Though most of the kapala relic was pulverized into dust during the [[Cultural Revolution]], one Tibetan man managed to save a silver dollar-size piece on which the syllable "AH" appears. Penor Rinpoche acquired it from him on a return trip to Tibet in 1987. He had it preserved in a crystal lotus bowl.

In 1987, Penor Rinpoche officially recognized Alyce Louise Zeoli as the tulku of Genyenma Ahkon Lhamo during her visit to his Namdroling Monastery in [[Bylakuppe]], [[Karnataka]], India.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=American-born Woman Tulku Enthroned |magazine=Vajradhatu Sun |date=October–November 1988}}{{full citation needed|date=November 2023}}</ref> He gave her the crystal lotus bowl containing the relic of Ahkon Lhamo just prior to the occasion of her enthronement ceremony as [[Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo]] at [[Kunzang Palyul Choling]] (KPC) in 1988.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1996|p=76}} The relic remains at KPC and is displayed on auspicious days.

===Lineage of Jamgon Kongtrul===
{{main|Jamgon Kongtrul}}
[[File:Lodro Thaye.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]]

Kongtrul tulkus are the main custodians of [[Jamgon Kongtrul]] (1813–1899). Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician, [[tertön]] and polymath.{{sfn|Jackson|2012}}{{sfn|Ringu Tulku|2007}} He is credited as one of the founders of the [[Rimé movement]] (non-sectarian), compiling what is known as the "Five Great Treasuries".{{sfn|Jamgon Kongtrul|2003|loc=Translators' Introduction}} He achieved great renown as a scholar and writer, especially among the [[Nyingma]] and [[Kagyu]] lineages and composed over 90 volumes of Buddhist writing,{{sfn|Jackson|2012}}{{sfn|Jamgon Kongtrul|2003|loc=Translators' Introduction}} including his magnum opus, ''[[Sheja Dzö|The Treasury of Knowledge]]''. There have been several recognized tulkus of Lodro Thaye.

The current lineage holder as the 4th Jamgon Kongtrul is [[Lodrö Chökyi Nyima]]. He was recognized in August 1996 by [[Ogyen Trinley Dorje]], the 17th [[Karmapa]], who gave the name Jamgon Lodro Chokyi Nyima Dronme Chok Thamced Le Nampar Gyalwe De. He was born on November{{nbsp}}26, 1995, in [[Qüxü County|Chushur Dzong]], near Chushur Dzong, in Central Tibet. This recognition was confirmed by the [[14th Dalai Lama]], [[Sakya Trizin]], head of the [[Sakya (Tibetan Buddhist school)|Sakya]] school of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], and [[Mindroling Trichen]], former head of the [[Nyingma]] tradition. All three performed hair-cutting ceremonies and bestowed names, as is traditional. As the reincarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul, Lodrö is entitled to be called "[[Rinpoche]]".

===Lineage of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo===
{{main|Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo}}
[[File:Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.jpg|thumb|Painting of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo]]

Khyentse tulkus are the main custodians of the lineage of [[Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo]] (1820–1892), a teacher, scholar and [[tertön]] of 19th-century [[Tibet]]. He was a leading figure in the [[Rimé movement]].

Several tulkus of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, including those of body ''(sku)'', speech ''(gsung)'', mind ''(thugs)'', qualities ''(yon tan)'' and activity ''({{bo|w='phrin las}})'', were recognized in Tibet.{{sfn|Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche|1996}} Of these, the body incarnation was Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chökyi Wangpo, who was enthroned at Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's main seat at [[Dzongsar Monastery]] but died in an accident c. 1909.{{sfn|Smith|2001|p=268}} The activity incarnation [[Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö]], who was originally enthroned at [[Katok Monastery]] succeeded him. The speech incarnation was the [[Second Beru Khyentse]] and the mind incarnation [[Dilgo Khyentse]]. Since the early 1960s, Dilgo Khyentse, single-handedly upholding the unique tradition of Khyentse incarnations, propagated Buddhism tirelessly in India, Bhutan, Nepal, [[Tibet]], and the West.{{sfn|Thondup|1996|p=221}}
{{expand section|date=January 2024}}
{{clear}}

===Lineage of Dudjom Lingpa===
{{further|Dudjom Lingpa|Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje}}
[[File:Dudjom Lingpa.jpg|thumb|Dudjom Lingpa]]
[[Dudjom Lingpa]] (1835–1904) was a Tibetan [[meditation]] master, spiritual teacher and [[tertön]].{{sfn|Dudjom Lingpa|2002|p=xiii}} He stands out from the norm of [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] teachers in the sense that he had no formal education, nor did he take ordination as a [[monk]] or belong to any established [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] school or tradition of his time.{{sfn|Drolma|2012|p={{page needed|date=July 2021}}}}

His recognized successor, [[Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje]], was more commonly known as Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987).<ref name=Wogmin>{{cite web |title=His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche: Upasaka Vidyadhara Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje (1904–1987) |url=http://www.dharma-media.org/wogmin/dudjom.html |access-date=2021-01-15 |website=Drikung Kagyu Buddhist Monastery, Wogmin Thubten Shedrup Ling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232748/https://www.dharma-media.org/wogmin/dudjom.html |archive-date=2018-10-21}}</ref> He is considered to be the direct incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa.<ref name=Wogmin/> He was a [[Nyingma]] [[Householder (Buddhism)|householder]], yogi, and a [[Vajrayana]] and [[Dzogchen]] master. According to his disciple Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, he was revered as "His Holiness" and as a "Master of Masters".{{sfn|Dongyal|2008|p={{page needed|date=November 2023}}}}

The third Dudjom tulku, Sangye Pema Zhepa, was first recognized by terton Khandro Tare Lama through a prophetic poem written in [[dakini script]] on the day of his birth. Tare Lama wrote to [[Chatral Rinpoche]], who confirmed the prophecy and recognized the three-year-old tulku in person. Recognitions were also conferred by the [[14th Dalai Lama]], [[Penor Rinpoche|Kyabje Penor Rinpoche]], [[Sakya Trizin|Sakya Trinzin Rinpoche]], and others.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=Spring 1993 |title=Khyabje Dudjom Rinpoche to be Enthroned |magazine=Snow Lion Newsletter and Catalog |page=2 |url=https://www.shambhala.com/snowlion_articles/khyabje-dudjom-rinpoche-to-be-enthroned/ |access-date=2023-11-04 |via=Shambhala.com}}</ref> On February 15, 2022, Dudjom Rinpoche Sangye Pema Zhepa, after telling his staff that he was going to rest and relax, suddenly died. He was 32 years of age when he passed at the Dudjom Labrang, his residence.{{sfn|Panzica|2022}}{{sfn|Lewis|2022}}

===Lineage of Thubten Yeshe===
{{main|Thubten Yeshe}}

[[Thubten Yeshe]] (1935–1984) was a [[Tibet]]an [[lama]] who, while exiled in [[Nepal]], co-founded [[Kopan Monastery]] (1969) and the [[Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition]] (1975). He followed the [[Gelug]] tradition, and was considered unconventional in his teaching style. Lama Yeshe died in 1984, 20 minutes before dawn on the first day of [[Losar]], the Tibetan New Year. His body was cremated at the Vajrapani Institute in [[Boulder Creek, California]],{{sfn|Zopa Rinpoche|2009}} where there is a [[stupa]] honoring him.

[[File:Tenzin Osel Hita, IVY, 191227 by Anouk Burel.jpeg|150px|thumb|[[Tenzin Ösel Hita]] in 2018]]

In 1986, after certain traditional tests, the [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] formally recognized [[Tenzin Ösel Hita]] as the ''tulku'' or [[reincarnation]] of [[Thubten Yeshe]]—making him one of only a handful of Western tulkus—and renamed him "Tenzin Ösel Rinpoche" ({{bo|t=བསྟན་འཛིན་འོད་གསལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།}}). This makes Thubten Yeshe the first in a new lineage of tulkus. As a child Ösel was heavily promoted by the FPMT, and made the subject of a book by [[Vicki Mackenzie]], ''Reincarnation: The Boy Lama''.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1996}} He is the fifth of nine siblings.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1996}}