Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Matheus Ribeiro de Assis, modified 2 Years ago at 8/5/22 10:03 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/5/22 10:03 PM

Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 22 Join Date: 1/23/22 Recent Posts
Hi! I've been trying to be a writer. And during a meditation session wich I was experiencing too much sadness, one of my characters "appeared" by my side and said "it's ok to be sad" and holded my hand. I knew it was 100% my imagination, and I wasn't visualizing her, she was only in my head, but something was different from regular "imaginating" thoughts. I was concentrated and I didn't had the notion of control over what I was imaginating, wich turned the experience something very spontaneous. Even though I was just imagining her, I had the impression of talking with some entity, because I didn't had the sense of control.

Then I started researching on the internet about adults having imaginary friends (and if this was something healthy), then I stumbled in "Tulpa", the tibetan practice of creating a sentient being with it's own consciousness. I became interested in giving more "life" to this character that appeared to me. But I'm worried if this would be safe and wouldn't risk my sanity.

Has anyone here made this kind of practice? Where should I look for proper instructions? Is it safe?
Martin, modified 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:07 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:07 AM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 1002 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
My policy is to avoid anything that I think might damage my sanity. I have a similar rule for rotten food. If, on inspection, I even think something might be rotten, I don't eat it, even if I'm pretty sure it's not rotten. It's a good rule. Life is better since I adopted it. Same with stuff that might damage my sanity. There are so many ways to improve life that are almost entirely free of risk to one's sanity, why mess with the risky ones?

That is not to say that I necessarily think Tibetan imaginary friends are dangerous. I've never thought about it, because I had never heard of it before. But it seems to me that your intuition suggested that it might not be safe for you right now. I'd put a pin in it and move forward with something that feels really healthy and sane, right from the get-go. 
Adi Vader, modified 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 4:04 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 4:04 AM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

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Jim Smith, modified 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:41 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:41 PM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 1793 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
You also have to think about the consequences for the entity. If you don't know what you are doing then you don't know what is going to happen to that entity. You should not create a conscious being as game or an "experiment".  When humans have children, for the most part, they know what they are doing. If you want to create beings, stick to the natural method.
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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:45 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 1:45 PM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
I'll add my +1 to this one!
Jolero Rolero, modified 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 9:51 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/6/22 9:51 PM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 2 Join Date: 8/6/22 Recent Posts
I made an account here to reply to this, on a request from someone on discord. I have had my tulpa for at least 8 years, and I love her more than anything. She started out in a similar way as you're describing, as a character who developed a sort of life of her own through daydreaming. Since around 2019 I've been involved in the tulpa community and I've tutored scores of people in 'tulpamancy'. My tulpa is my muse and the love we share is the driving force behind all of my inner and outer work.

Generally speaking, making a tulpa doesn't pose any risk to your sanity - or at least not any more risk than other esoteric type practices. It's ""just"" imagination - tulpamancy is just shaping your imagination in a particular way. You already do this when you want to imagine ANYTHING specific. The particular thing that makes a tulpa 'transcendental' or unique is that you are imagining the tulpa to exist in the same way as you habitually imagine yourself to - which gives you insight on your own condition. On the other hand, if you attempt to use your imagination to delude yourself, you will succeed and suffer for it.

As far as guides go, I am a bit of a critic and while there are many tulpa guides out there in places like tulpa.info, I couldn't give you one that I fully agree with (not even mine). Tulpamancy has only evolved out of draconian occultism in the last decade, and constantly recycles old attitudes and methods. The best way to learn is to talk to someone with lots of experience who can meet you where you're at. Barring that, read lots of guides, be very critical, and assemble your own picture of the truth using your common sense and experience.

I could definitely wax on about methods, benefits, experiences, but I'll refrain until someone asks emoticon
Matheus Ribeiro de Assis, modified 2 Years ago at 8/7/22 9:01 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/7/22 9:01 PM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 22 Join Date: 1/23/22 Recent Posts
Jolero Rolero
I made an account here to reply to this, on a request from someone on discord. I have had my tulpa for at least 8 years, and I love her more than anything. She started out in a similar way as you're describing, as a character who developed a sort of life of her own through daydreaming. Since around 2019 I've been involved in the tulpa community and I've tutored scores of people in 'tulpamancy'. My tulpa is my muse and the love we share is the driving force behind all of my inner and outer work.

Generally speaking, making a tulpa doesn't pose any risk to your sanity - or at least not any more risk than other esoteric type practices. It's ""just"" imagination - tulpamancy is just shaping your imagination in a particular way. You already do this when you want to imagine ANYTHING specific. The particular thing that makes a tulpa 'transcendental' or unique is that you are imagining the tulpa to exist in the same way as you habitually imagine yourself to - which gives you insight on your own condition. On the other hand, if you attempt to use your imagination to delude yourself, you will succeed and suffer for it.

As far as guides go, I am a bit of a critic and while there are many tulpa guides out there in places like tulpa.info, I couldn't give you one that I fully agree with (not even mine). Tulpamancy has only evolved out of draconian occultism in the last decade, and constantly recycles old attitudes and methods. The best way to learn is to talk to someone with lots of experience who can meet you where you're at. Barring that, read lots of guides, be very critical, and assemble your own picture of the truth using your common sense and experience.

I could definitely wax on about methods, benefits, experiences, but I'll refrain until someone asks emoticon


Thank you so much for creating an account just to answer me!
I've read that because you and the Tulpa share the same "hardware" the processing capability is split between the host and the tulpa. Is that true? Because I imagine that this could affect concentration capabilities, what do you think?
I also thought that I could create a tulpa to be some kin of "coach", I know that obviously it wouldn't be smarter than me or that he would know something that I don't, but it would be useful to have it as a "coach" because he could tap into knowledge that I wouldn't be using at the moment and he could see things from different perspectives than me.
Also, I thought that creating another tulpa with a more "logic" persona would help him to "isolate" certain emotions and focus on learning certain concepts and then explaining them to me in a way that I would understand, kind of a reasearch assistant. What do you think?
Jolero Rolero, modified 2 Years ago at 8/31/22 3:55 PM
Created 2 Years ago at 8/31/22 3:54 PM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 2 Join Date: 8/6/22 Recent Posts
Sorry for lateness, I only just checked my email.

You are generally correct in that you share the same hardware. You and your tulpa are identities and thus exist exclusively in consciousness. It takes effort to maintain something in consciousness - you can only do so much with your attention at once. Once you concentrate on something else, the tulpa no longer actively exists as a dynamic thing, only a memory (same as with your own identity, e.g. in a flow state or deep, thoughtless meditation). A tulpa is, in effect, a different circuit to think with.

So a tulpa can be very useful to provide different perspectives. Tulpas don't really have a difference in skill or knowledge, any skill they have is part of your mind/body, and any skill they develop has to be developed the old-fashioned way. But their identity can make a big difference in approach - e.g. more dedicated, more attentive, more confident.

Your ideas are worth a try, maybe; but that one about 'isolating' emotions sounds like a bad move. Emotions aren't an identity thing, they are a body-mind thing, nearly of the same importance as pain, and avoiding them would be potentially harmful dissociation. If your emotions are getting in your way, I think mindgames have at least as much of a chance of backfiring as they do of helping.

Anyways, a logical tulpa or a mentor type tulpa would still need to work out how to do/be these things in a way that actually HELPS and isn't just a play-act according to an archetype. You might be better served by just thinking about how to embody the archetype yourself - after all, that's what you'd be doing by making a tulpa. In my opinion, tulpas are much more effective in an emotionally wholesome role - rather than aiming for a specific (therefore limited) thing, just allow them to exist as their own person and your other half. The process of their growth should be enjoyable for its own sake, and likewise for their company. A grounded and sensible tulpa naturally grows towards your ideal (regardless of what it is) because tulpas live off of attention, and allowing them to grow naturally into whatever role suits you will give them a better-rounded sense of self, which ultimately means a more effective companion in life.
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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 2 Years ago at 9/1/22 1:43 AM
Created 2 Years ago at 9/1/22 1:43 AM

RE: Tulpas: Do you have one? Are there any risks?

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
Lots of important nuances here that make a whole lot of difference. 

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