Commentary on the Fascinating Concept of Emanation
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Martin Chow)
The Buddhist belief in ’emanation’ can be a somewhat complex concept to grasp. The term originates from the word ’emanate’ or ‘to come out from a source’. That word itself comes from the Latin emanare meaning ‘to flow from’.
A Buddhist emanation is an animate or inanimate form manifested by Buddhas or high Bodhisattvas to benefit others. The exact manner or criteria have never been explained and it may be safe to conclude that such an explanation would be beyond the mental faculties of ordinary beings.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is considered by some Buddhists to be an emanation (in human form) of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. The Dalai Lama has even said publicly that his successor, the 15th Dalai Lama might appear as an emanation even when he, the current Dalai Lama is still alive.
The concept of ’emanation’ has come to the forefront of discussions in Buddhist circles (as well as political ones) because of the Dalai Lama’s statement. Perhaps there is no better time than the present to delve into this esoteric topic.
In Tibetan Buddhism
An emanation is one of the three forms of existence as described in Mahayana Buddhism using the Sanskrit theory known as ‘trikaya’. Trikaya translates literally as ‘three bodies’.
These three bodies are:
- the dharmakaya, the body of essence – the unmanifested form, also considered to be the supreme state of absolute knowledge;
- the sambhogakaya, the body of enjoyment – the heavenly form; and
- the nirmanakaya, the body of transformation – the earthly form. This includes the Buddha himself when he was on earth or appeared in the form of an earthly bodhisattva, an earthly king, a painting or a natural object, for example, a lotus flower.
The concept of trikaya applies not only to the historical Gautama (Shakyamuni) Buddha but to all Buddhas.
In Indian Buddhism
In Indian Buddhism, there is the concept of manomayakaya (mind-made body). Described in the Samannaphala Sutta, it is said to be one of the “fruits of the contemplative life”. Texts such as the Patisambhidamagga and the Visuddhimagga introduce an entirely new aspect of this phenomenon. They ascribe it to the citta-santana or thought-stream (or mindstream).
The concept of the citta-santana itself opens up an entirely new arena of understanding, that of multiple parallel universes. It suggests that there are concurrent existences or manifestations of a single being in several planes of reality.
It is said that Gautama Buddha and other arhats (“perfected persons”) are able to travel between the heavenly, earthly and other planes by manipulating this mindstream. They might even appear as multiple beings within the same reality.
An enlightened or realised being has the capacity to project an infinite number of such nirmitas into an infinite number of other realms. The Divyavadana text describes an instance where Gautama Buddha multiplied his nirmita or emanation body into countless other bodies which filled up the sky.
Forms of Emanation
While superior beings may project themselves into our plane an infinite number of times in an infinite number of forms, we still may not be able to see them. This is because there are two forms of emanations.
The first is the Ordinary Emanation Body. This is a form that may be perceived by anyone, animal or human. The second is the Supreme Emanation Body, which can only be seen by beings that have pure karma.
Milarepa
Buddhist mythology and religious texts abound with examples of both. One of the most well known is the story of the first meeting between the great Indian Master, Padampa Sangye and Milarepa, the accomplished Tibetan yogi. Milarepa had heard of the master and when he learned that he would be coming to Tibet, decided to test his abilities.
When he saw Padampa Sangye approaching, Milarepa took on the form of a flower. It was no ordinary flower but a Supreme Emanation Body, one which the visiting master would only recognise if he was truly on the path to enlightenment. Padampa Sangye walked right past Milarepa in the flower form. However, before Milarepa could conclude that others had overestimated the master, he received a kick as Padampa Sangye asked him to stand up.
Buddha Shakyamuni said in The Meeting of Father and Son Sutra that Buddhas may not only manifest themselves in the form of deities like Brahma and Indra but also as maras (demons) or within an evil person. He taught that while ordinary beings naturally associate emanations with positive forms, it is simply because they do not have the ability to recognise them in the negative ones.
Some modern authors have suggested that “unrealised beings” such as humans could also develop the powers to create their own emanation bodies or even exist as emanation bodies themselves.
Emanation vs Reincarnation
When the 14th Dalai Lama alluded in 2011 to the possibility of an emanation as his successor, most observers were surprised. This has not happened for over 600 years. The ‘accepted’ passing of the baton in the meantime has been exclusively through reincarnation, where the successor manifests signs and knowledge of his former self.
The key difference is that for reincarnation to occur, the former self must leave the earthly plane. By contrast, the concept of emanation allows for concurrency and multiplicity; the ‘old’ self and ‘new’ self can exist side by side.
In terms of succession, particularly with regard to an office as important as that of Dalai Lama, this can be a good thing. Perhaps the overlapping existence of predecessor and successor eliminates the uncertainty and anxiety that otherwise occurs with the passing of a Dalai Lama.
A Modern Parallel
The concept of concurrent mindstreams may be an established part of ancient Eastern religions but it has found adherents and supporters in the West today, even among those that are not religiously inclined. The idea of thought without a physical body has gained momentum with the advent of digital data and the ‘cloud’ storage system.
Science fiction writers have long considered the idea of reviving the mind of a deceased person, complete with all its emotions, thoughts and memories. Futurists today look upon such an idea with far less disdain than they might have just mere decades ago.
References
- Miracles and Superhuman Powers in South Asian Buddhist Literature. University of Michigan, 2008. Retrieved 1 May, 2019.
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/trikaya
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Buddha-founder-of-Buddhism#ref784635
- http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Emanation
The fascinating concept of emanation
Veenu Sandal | Updated: October 27, 2018, 2:59 PM
It is a common practice worldwide to transfer property or other material assets to someone either in one’s lifetime itself or leave a Will to do so after one’s death. But is it possible to transfer one’s personality or non-material assets such as knowledge or thoughts to another person or persons, either in one’s lifetime itself or after one’s death? The answer is an amazing “yes”. How? Through a process called “emanation”.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “emanation” as: to come out from a source, to send something out: to give out something. Moreover, it applies to the coming of something immaterial such as a thought from a source. According to Wikipedia, one early Buddhist text, the Samaññaphala Sutta, lists the ability to create a “mind-made body” or manomāyakāya or as one of the “fruits of the contemplative life”.
Commentarial texts such as the Patisambhidamagga and the Visuddhimagga state that this mind-made body is how Gautama Buddha and arhats are able to travel into heavenly realms using the continuum of the mindstream or citta-santāna and it is also used to explain the multiplication miracle of the Buddha as illustrated in the Divyavadana, in which the Buddha multiplied his emanation body or nirmita into countless other bodies which filled the sky. A Buddha or other realised being is able to project many such nirmitas simultaneously in an infinite variety of forms in different realms simultaneously. The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu defined nirmita as a siddhi or psychic power developed through Buddhist discipline, concentrated discipline or samadhi and wisdom in his seminal work on Buddhist philosophy, the Abhidharmakośa.
It is believed that enlightened minds can emanate in many forms, animate and inanimate, at the same time. For instance, the current 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader-in-exile, is considered to be an emanation-reincarnation or tulku of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The mindstream of Chenrizig can emanate it is said as the incarnation of the current 14th Dalai Lama, and at the same time, this mindstream of Chenrizig can emanate as an incarnation of another lay person somewhere else or another object concurrently.
The Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia says that one of the powers of an enlightened mind is the ability to spontaneously emanate itself through the power of its altruistic intention. Hence, Manjushri, a Bodhisattva associated with prajñā or insight in Mahayana Buddhism could simultaneously emanate as Kalarupa, Yamantaka, Lama Tsongkhapa, Dorje Shugden and countless millions of emanations throughout the 3 realms.
Called Nirmanakaya in Sanskrit, there are two types—the Supreme Emanation Body and the ordinary Emanation Body. The first type can be seen only by those who have pure karma, and the second can be seen by anyone. In the Meeting of Father and Son Sutra Buddha Shakyamuni says: Buddhas manifest in many different aspects such as Brahma, Indra, and sometimes even as a mara or in the aspect of an evil person, but worldly people do not recognise these emanations.
Enlightened minds have been known to emanate even as a bridge to help people. There is the oft-cited story of how, at one time the great Indian Master, Yogi Padampa Sangye, journeyed to Tibet. When Milarepa, one of Tibet’s most famous yogis and poets, heard of this great Yogi’s visit he decided to test his realisations. He went to the border and waited for Padampa Sangye. When he saw him approaching he transformed himself into a flower to see whether Padampa Sangye had the clairvoyance to see through his disguise. Padampa Sangye, however, walked past Milarepa, seemingly unaware of his presence. Milarepa thought to himself “This so-called Yogi has no clairvoyance”, whereupon Padampa Sangye turned around and kicked the flower. ‘Get up Milarepa!’ he said, and Milarepa, delighted to discover that Padampa Sangye was a genuinely realised being, sprang up in his usual form to greet him.
People often ask whether emanation and reincarnation are the same or different. There is a clear distinction between reincarnation and emanation. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, a renowned teacher, scholar and tertön of 19th-century Tibet, said: “Reincarnation is what happens when someone takes rebirth after the predecessor’s passing away; emanation is when manifestations take place without the source’s passing away.”
According to Wosel Tenzin who has initiated many incisive discussions on spirituality and Buddhism on the internet and elsewhere, “An emanation is a duplicate of its original. In Buddhism, for example, we believe that the mindstream of the Dalai Lama is an emanation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion meaning that the Dalai Lama’s mindstream is the same with that of Chenrezig. An incarnation, on the other hand, is the continuity of a mindstream from previous lives in the current life. For example, the 14th Dalai Lama who is an emanation of Chenrezig is currently in his 14th incarnation in human form. It means that the emanation of Cherenzig took rebirth 14 times in human form.”
Even incarnations such as the Dalai Lama can have emanations. In 2011, the current 14th Dalai Lama suggested for the first time in 600 years his successor might be an emanation and not a reincarnation. Robert J. Barnett, director of the Modern Tibet Studies Program at Columbia University in New York, commented that “The concept of emanation is not a new theory or practice and is already well known in Tibetan Buddhism, with many high lamas also considered to be emanations.” Many, including Barnett believe that for the Dalai Lama, emanating rather than reincarnating might be preferable because it is more flexible. A successor could be identified while the Dalai Lama is still alive since a lama can have multiple emanations during a lifetime. An emanated successor may be recognised in one of three ways, explained Barnett: belonging to the same mindstream as his or her predecessor, having close connections through karma and prayers, or being appointed. Today, some futurists are focusing on downloading the mind’s thoughts without the physical body being present while scientists are preserving brains and searching for ways to resurrect a dead person’s mind with all its thoughts and memories. Without doubt, such exploratory endeavours would gain from interacting with living masters or actual representatives of age-old phenomena like emanation. As the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia points out, there is no limit but the limitations of our tiny minds.
Source: https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/fascinating-concept-emanation
For more interesting information:
- Interesting Signs of Reincarnation
- Extremely interesting investigation on Reincarnation
- Reincarnation: True or false?
- The Mind, and How it Reincarnates
- Dalai Lama’s sudden change of mind about China-backed Panchen Lama
- Do animals reincarnate back as humans?
- Mongols believed 5th Dalai Lama was someone else
- Talk on Reincarnation by H.H. Dalai Lama
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I was at a teaching and in a dream the Lama was flooting above and I was standing with a stream of gold coming from my head towards the lama; he said “you want to kill the lama”.
I was once astro projected onto a bus and a woman was sitting with a bowl and another woman had her butt sticking out the window and I saw through her third eye drops of something from her behind. I will fast forward just like I now assume the chief cheneny who ripped the left side rear door off the bus and my spirit and I followed to be astro projected / walking between two buses to where the chief was standing (my delusion).
I whom; I received the initiation of the Bardo; I was ejected out of a WWII Soldier .
Fast forward I find myself in a dream on a skateboard and at the curb were frog eggs then to my right was my house and my neighbor who said airborne, between her words and my spirit on the skateboard “the head turned” and took notice. In the military; on the base was set on top of a underground lake and my boss one day moved me to a room by myself. This part is ” our minds were as one ” I heard and frog with my mind and it stopped singing ! Rewind one day after school I was at Kennedy Shopping Center a man who was friends with my spiritual warfare enemy Gene S; his friend was punching me in the back over and over again.
Now fast forward in the dream two legs on the ground knees up and a lizard with a long neck was moving it’s head from two hands opposite from my spiritual rear end and eventually grabbed and 90 degs. to it’s neck.
The same house with the frog eggs at a different time I had dirt thrown on me and in a different location my spirit inside a different dream I had dirt thrown on me. And in a different dream a man on his fours I was holding a clear bottle as he shit in the bottle and my spirit looked into the circle of the bottle and returned the opening to his rear end, and through someones third eye people were walking from the back of the yard to the side of the house and I guess the house was a Vail.
Thank you to Rinpoche, The Blog Team and of course Martin for this offering. I enjoyed very much the reading of, contemplation and realization of the phenomena referred to as Emanation. Rejoicing at the possibilities, being limitless, that realized beings may exist in forms perhaps unaware to others, although certainly felt and understood if one looks deep and close enough. Without beginning and without end, there is no coming and going and one may see apparent signs revealed when looking at the whole nature of absolute reality, that Emanations are apparent even in the conventional sense, all being of one mind. One in which our karma dictates our ability to see things clearly, in correct view, the Guru may be seen in all things absolute, and is never far from sight if we choose to look closely enough at the cause we effect, having the merit and presence of mind to recognise it, may we see all auspiciousness arise, in compassionate emanation which leads others to enlightenment. May you be happy and may you be well friends! Many thanks once again.
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin for writing and sharing the article to give us a short teaching about the emanation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The power of the enlightened beings should not be underestimated by our limited human view. Upon learning from this article, I am personally motivated by the great compassion and altruism given by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas towards many sentient beings as They compassionately bless, protect, guide and help all living beings in any animate or inanimate forms through Their powerful emanations.
By referring to the 14th Dalai Lama’s statement in 2011 that there is a possibility of an emanation as His successor, it will be a smooth and peaceful transition from the current Dalai Lama to the next Dalai Lama if it really happens. Maintaining the peace and harmony in religion’s organization is the key success for long term period.
May all sentient beings continue to receive the blessings and protections from all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Thank you with folded hands,
kin hoe
The enlightened mind has the ability to manifest as many emanations as needed because of their altruistic intention. To name a few, Buddha of Compassion Avalokithesvara emanate as Lama Tsongkhapa, Tara, Mahakala, Hayagriva where as Buddha of Wisdom Manjushri emanate as Lama Tsongkhapa, Dorje Shugden, Kalarupa, Yamantaka
and the list goes on.
Buddhas emanations are endless. What caught my attention was, Buddha can emanates in an inanimate object which i think it is fascinating. The enlightened mind is limitless. This is the Buddha enlightened activities, manifests in many different aspects to guide
living beings along the spiritual path.
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin for this clear article. I always thought emanation is similar to reincarnation. The article clearly states the definition. Before learning dharma I thought that the mind can only be in 1 form or body. And I don’t understand when I read some dharma articles that it says the mind can be in different forms at the same time. And that is called emanation. It is the kindness and compassion of the Buddha to appear in various forms to help all sentient beings and to give us the opportunity to connect with holy beings.
Wow …..really complicated word. Trying to absorb the word even though reading and reading over again. Emanation is when manifestations take place without the source’s passing away. The act of flowing from main source or origin.
In Tibetan Buddhism, emanation bodies are connected the Buddhist doctrine of the three bodies of the Buddha. The 14th Dalai Lama is regarded by many to be an emanation-reincarnation of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
We need to accept the existence of past and future lives. We do believed sentient beings come to this present life from their previous lives and take rebirth again after death. Emanation is an animate or inanimate form manifested by Buddhas or high Bodhisattvas to benefit others. To my understanding, emanation is a manifestation of a particular Buddha and it can be a living or inanimate object in many forms at the same time. A Buddha’s manifestation have several levels, some cannot be seen and some can be seen. I have booked marked to read again to have a better understanding.
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin Chow for this sharing.
Wonderful teaching from Tsem Rinpoche and his blog. Great to be able to learn something new everyday.
Dear Martin,
This is truly interesting and mind blowing for me that an enlightened mind can emanate into many forms including a flower!? I really enjoyed reading the whole article and your concise explaination on Emanation vs Reincarnation. I will be waiting for more of your mind blowing write up to come. Thank you very much Rinpoche and Martin for such an enlightening write up!???????