Tracking the Tulpa

The concept of the tulpa, a being that starts in imagination but becomes real and sentient, is commonly attributed to Tibetan Buddhism but actually owes more to Theosophy. The article traces the idea's murky origins to a dialogue between East and West, where Theosophical metaphysics merged with terms borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism, beginning with Alexandra David-Néel's 1929 book.

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Abstract

Since the 1970s, tulpas have been a feature of Western paranormal lore. In contemporary paranormal discourse, a tulpa is a being that begins in the imagination but acquires a tangible reality and sentience. Tulpas are created either through a deliberate act of individual will or unintentionally from the thoughts of numerous people. The tulpa was first described by Alexandra David-Néel (1868–1969) in Magic and Mystery in Tibet (1929) and is still regarded as a Tibetan concept. However, the idea of the tulpa is more indebted to Theosophy than to Tibetan Buddhism. This article explores the murky origins of the tulpa to show how the concept emerged from a dialogue between East and West in which Theosophical metaphysics were combined with terms adapted from Tibetan Buddhism.