tulku

Tulku is the Tibetan term for nirmanakaya, the “Transformation Body of the Buddhas,” manifestations of which appear in whatever form necessary to aid others. In Vajrayana Buddhism, the term is reserved for those lamas (enlightened teachers) who have consciously taken rebirth for the benefit of those still caught in the wheel of samsara. Appended to the name of a tulku will be the honorific “rinpoche,” which means “precious jewel.” The Dalai Lama is the best known of the tulkus, but they exist in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.