Tulpa

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A tulpa is a corporeal manifestation of intense emotions or thoughts that, when they reach a certain level of energy, will gain sentience and autonomy. Tulpas can either be created with purpose, in which their sentience belongs to their creator, or by accident, in which they belong to no one or thing.

Description

Tulpas are capable of taking on a vast number of forms.

Heavily documented by Tibetans, it was common for a monk to manifest their tulpa in a way that would benefit them, such as helping them overcome a fear or trying to make a decision that was right for them.

Generally speaking, a “standard” tulpa would be humanesque: two arms, legs, torso, midsection, and a head. There are no facial features, but there are reports that have detailed glowing eyes or holes where eyes would rest. Regardless of the type of energy it has used to manifest, it will always be dark matter, semi-opaque.

Tulpas can take on an anthropoid form by accident as well. In cases of extreme natural devastation (eg. major logging, heavy pollution, industrial take over), there have been animalistic manifestations.

Origin

Tulpa is a Sanskrit word meaning “to build” or “to construct” also translated as “magical emanation”, “conjured thing” and “phantom”. It is a concept of a being or object which is created through sheer spiritual or mental discipline alone.

The exact origin of a tulpa can be difficult to pinpoint since they come from an amalgamation of emotions, and such a thing is universal. However, the most commonly accepted origin stories come from a translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, where the concepts of ‘emanation body’ —nirmita, tulku, sprul-pa and others— is adapted to ‘tulpa’ and ‘thoughtform’.

Although the deities of the Pantheon are aware of the existence of the Tulpa, they have devoted little energy into documenting this fact or researching them beyond what the Tibetans already have done.

Behavior

A tulpa’s behavior depends on its creator, or creation energy. Being created on purpose tends to give a tulpa more constraints in which they can reside in, resulting in less catastrophes and the ability to comprehend both itself, its creator, as well as its surroundings and – if taught – its emotions. This lends itself to being a companion and potentially a sentient friend, taking back the purpose that Tibetan monks used tulpas for, and evolving it into a more long term or permanent relationship.

On the flip side, if a tulpa is formed with nothing but pure energy, you’re looking at a walking time bomb. Not only are they completely unpredictable, but they are eager to create chaos based on its root emotion: anger would cause riots, inflict rage to start fights; sadness hunts down the emotionally and mentally vulnerable; fear incites panic, unpredictability in those you thought stalwart; even happiness is convoluted, turning joyful parties into righteous marches for a strict rule of smiling only. Epiales, the god of nightmares, has been noted to be a frequent exploiter of this.

However, it is not just mankind that it effects – even immortals, and those in between realms, may summon a tulpa without meaning to, if the emotions are strong enough. They have no boundaries, and so may follow you through whatever plane you happen to be on.

Variants

Tulpa Magna. An emotional sinkhole, this type is rare to spawn. A Magna is formed when three or more tulpas appear in the same vicinity. They are attracted to one another’s energy, and will merge together. If this is allowed, they will form a Magna, and the countdown to a fatal explosion is not far away.

Atman Sculpete. This type of tulpa is said to come alive once every few thousand years. It could be likened to the Dalai Lama, in that it prefers to meditate and bring peace to any troubled minds that come before it. While this may sound ideal, it results in the seeker staying with the Atman indefinitely in a state of meditation, and dying.

Tulpa Magna. An emotional sinkhole, this type is rare to spawn. A Magna is formed when three or more tulpas appear in the same vicinity. They are attracted to one another’s energy, and will merge together. If this is allowed, they will form a Magna, and the countdown to a fatal explosion is not far away.

Atman Sculpete. This type of tulpa is said to come alive once every few thousand years. It could be likened to the Dalai Lama, in that it prefers to meditate and bring peace to any troubled minds that come before it. While this may sound ideal, it results in the seeker staying with the Atman indefinitely in a state of meditation, and dying.