Overview : Tulpas

Tulpa : To build or to construct 

Tulpa has also been translated as : phantom, conjured thing, or magical emanation. 

It is a concept in mysticism of a being or object that has been created via mental and or spiritual concentration or discipline. It is created by the mind of an individual. 

The concept is found in Tibetan and Indian Buddhism. 

In Indian Buddhism, being able to create a Tulpa, is considered a psychic power. However, in Tibetan Buddhism, individuals were taught that the Tulpa was nothing more than a hallucination, and were taught to accept that. 

The western version of a Tulpa, is often called a Thoughtform. 

Explanation of Tulpas/ Thoughtforms from Occultist William Walker Atkinson : 

- Thought-forms [are] simple ethereal objects emanating from the auras surrounding people, generating from their thoughts and feelings (from his book, The Human Aura)

- In his book, Clairvoyance and Occult Powers, Atkinson explains that "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".( William Walker Atkinson (1916) )

*  Any human, divine or [demonic] being may be possessed of it. The only difference comes from the degree of power, and this depends on the strength of the concentration and the quality of the mind itself. (Alexandra David-Néel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet, 1929, pg 115)


There are some that believe there is nothing supernatural about Tulpas at all, and some that do. Those that don't, explain them as simply being hallucinations or "imaginary beings" that are created by the individual. 


Whether you believe Tulpas are supernatural / Paranormal or not, you must admit they are an interesting topic to be discussed. Have you ever had a Tulpa? What are your thoughts on them? Are they supernatural or are they completely made up by the host? These are all questions to be explored, so take a chance and do some research of your own, who knows, you could learn something new!