Tulpa

In Tibetan Buddhism and later traditions of mysticism and the paranormal, a tulpa is a materialized being or thought-form, typically in human form, that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration.

The concept of tulpas has origins in the Buddhist nirmāṇakāya, translated in Tibetan as sprul-pa (སྤྲུལ་པ་): the earthly bodies that a buddha manifests in order to teach those who have not attained nirvana.

The western understanding of tulpas was developed by twentieth-century European mystical explorers, who interpreted the idea independently of buddhahood.

[15] Spiritualist Alexandra David-Néel stated that she had observed Buddhist tulpa creation practices in 20th-century Tibet.

"[16]: 283  She said she had created such a tulpa in the image of a jolly Friar Tuck-like monk, which she claimed had later developed independent thought and had to be destroyed.

[16]: 176 Influenced by depictions in television and cinema from the 1990s and 2000s, the term tulpa started to be used to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend.

They belong to "primarily urban, middle-class, Euro-American adolescent and young adult demographics"[5] and they "cite loneliness and social anxiety as an incentive to pick up the practice".

[5] 93.7% of respondents expressed that their involvement with the creation of tulpas has "made their condition better",[5] and led to new unusual sensory experiences.