tulpa
English edit
Etymology edit
From Tibetan སྤྲུལ་པ (sprul pa, “emanation, magical creation”), equivalent to a calque of Sanskrit निर्मित (nirmita, “build”) or निर्माण (nirmāṇa, “build”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tulpa (plural tulpa or tulpas or (often in sense 2) tulpae)
- (Buddhism, mysticism) A magical creature that attains corporeal reality, having been originally merely imaginary.
- 1966, Nikos Kazantzakis, England: A Travel Journal, page 110:
- When the year was up, the tulpa began growing. It lost its fear of its master and began taking on new forms of its own. It ceased to run errands ....
- A type of thoughtform regarded as capable of independent action, with a persistent personality and identity; a kind of modern imaginary friend.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
magical creature that attains corporeal reality, having been imaginary