The Duality of Doppelgangers
This image has been used for educational purposes only. All rights are reserved by the owner of the image.
(by Tsem Rinpoche and Cindy Hew)
In general, people are either weirded out or fascinated by the possibility that we have at least one likeness out there amongst the over-seven billion people in the world. This is most probably fuelled by the belief that we are all unique individuals and therefore should be different from each other.
Although there is a growing trend of attempting to locate our likenesses via social media and other online platforms, people in the past were more apprehensive and less receptive of meeting their doppelgangers. In fact, some downright balked at the mere mention of the word ‘doppelganger’ due to superstitious beliefs which once heavily dogged doppelganger sightings.
What are Doppelgangers?
The word ‘doppelganger’ first debuted in Germany around 1796. Coined by German author Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (better known by his pen name Jean Paul) in his novel ‘Siebenkäs‘, the word originally described a meal in which two courses were simultaneously served.
Portrait of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter by Heinrich Pfenninger in 1798
Jean Paul invented the word “doppeltganger” to describe instances of uncanny lookalikes, which is the current popular use for the term ‘doppelganger’. These lines of distinction slowly blurred over time and ‘doppelganger’ now serves as the default term for any type of double. The Dutch word “dubbelgänger” also came into being at around the same time and bore the same literal definition.
However, the concept of a doppelganger being a mysterious exact double of a living person predates its official terminology. This is evinced by its early appearances in folklore, myths, religious concepts and traditions of many cultures throughout human history.
Neutral Origins
An Egyptian “Ka” statue
The earliest record of a doppelganger can be found in ancient Egyptian mythology relating to a “ka” which roughly translates to “tangible spirit double”.
This spirit double is said to have the same memories, emotions and feelings as the person who is its counterpart. It is also what drives Egyptians to mummify their bodies as they believe that the “ka” lives on after death provided it has a body in place. A decomposed body would mean the death of the “ka” and the deceased would then lose his chance for eternal life.
Based on Egyptian mythology, it appears that the nature of the “ka” is not fixed and can be manipulated by third parties who have developed the power to do so, even without the consent or knowledge of the originator of the “ka”. According to Egyptian belief, Paris of Troy was misled into stopping the Trojan War through the use of the “ka” of his lover, Helen.
An ancient artistic depiction of Paris of Troy and his lover, Helen
Other tales that affirm the unfixed nature of the doppelganger phenomenon include:
“Vardoger” from Norse folklore, which are ghostly beings that precede their living counterparts. Norse folktales reveal that a Vardoger typically takes on the originator’s form, voice, scent and overall demeanour including footsteps, primarily to perform the originator’s intended actions in advance of the originator’s arrival at a particular location. It is also common for witnesses to come forth and swear that they had seen or heard the actual person before the individual physically arrives.
“Ori” from the African Yoruba tradition, which also bears features identical to the originator. The Yoruba tribe believes that each person has an Ori but opinions differ as to its role. Some believe it is the person’s spirit whilst others claim it is the guardian spirit of the person it resembles.
“Chi” from the indigenous Nigerian Igbo tribe. The Igbo tribe believes that doppelgangers are the fundamental force of creation and the manifestation of the individual’s consciousness, serving as a life compass or even as a guardian spirit for the person it resembles.
Igbo art depicting the creation of man and co-relation with Chi
Malevolent Nature?
As time passed, much superstition arose around doppelgangers and by the mid-19th century, they had developed a reputation as harbingers of misfortune including being omens of impending death. As a result, doppelgangers took on a more sinister form in popular culture and were believed to cast no shadow and at times, no reflection. Amongst the common folk, they became associated with evil and the afterlife.
Emilie Sagee and her doppelganger
During this period, it was believed that if a doppelganger was seen by a person’s relative or friend, it translated to some form of illness or danger befalling that individual. Such was the case of Emilie Sagee, a schoolteacher in mid-19th century France whose tale was chronicled by Robert Dale Owen, an American writer.
In 1845, the students in Sagee’s class could not believe their eyes when Sagee’s doppelganger suddenly appeared next to her in class and started mimicking her every move. The witnesses were understandably shocked but Sagee herself was completely oblivious to the apparition pantomiming her movements.
With each subsequent appearance, Sagee’s doppelganger appeared to be getting bolder and stronger, even appearing beyond Sagee’s immediate vicinity. On one such occasion, Sagee’s doppelganger sat on her chair in the bustling school hall whilst the real Sagee was outside attending to another matter. One can just imagine the fear and bewilderment of the students who could clearly see their teacher outside while her paranormal twin occupied her vacant seat in their midst. A few daring students approached the doppelganger but it did not disappear immediately unlike previously. A couple of daredevil students even walked through it, reporting that it felt like the texture of thick fabric.
Artist’s impression of Sagee’s doppelganger appearing in class
It was apparent to all that whenever her spectral twin appeared, Sagee would turn pale and look drained. Different eye-witnesses also said that Sagee would complain about feeling groggy and powerless whenever her doppelganger manifested.
The repeated sightings of Sagee’s doppelganger not only took a toll on her health but also resulted in her eventually losing her job at Pensionat von Neuwelcke despite being a model employee. Based on Owen’s chronicles, Sagee’s doppelganger cost her dearly — 19 teaching jobs in 16 years, to be precise. Most of her employers had no choice but to let Sagee go as concerned parents were either pulling their children out of school or refusing to enrol them in a place with a resident doppelganger.
Many were spooked by the frequent appearance of Sagee’s doppelganger
Omen of Death?
People also believed that sudden death would befall one who sees his own doppelganger. Many real-life cases have been reported including those involving significant historical figures. Some notable ones include;
1. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865
Abraham Lincoln’s encounters with his doppelganger were documented in 1895 by Noah Brooks in his book, ‘Washington in Lincoln’s Time‘.
Artist’s impression of President Lincoln meeting his doppelganger
According to Brooks, the first encounter took place when Lincoln was resting on his couch on the night of his first election. He happened to glance in a mirror and saw his own visage — except that there were two of him. The second figure, identical in every way to Lincoln save for it being “five shades paler”, disappeared when he got up from the couch to investigate.
He sat back down only to see it again. At that juncture, it is said that Lincoln admitted to having felt a little pang as if something uncomfortable had happened but he put such negative thoughts on the backburner.
Lincoln reportedly tried to elicit the presence of his ghostly apparition again, either out of curiosity or to show it to his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.
He was successful in encountering his doppelganger once again but was unable to show it to his terrified wife. The distraught Mary felt that the paleness of Lincoln’s bizarre twin was a bad omen, and believed it meant Lincoln would be elected for two terms but would not live to finish his second one. Eerily, Mary was proven right when Lincoln was assassinated partway through his second term.
2. Catherine the Great, the powerful 18th century Empress of Russia
On the fateful night when Catherine saw her doppelganger, she was in a foul mood as her slumber was disrupted by terrified servants who swore they had just seen her enter the throne room. Her strong and territorial disposition meant she did not take lightly to anyone, including her ghostly counterpart, making themselves at home on the royal throne.
Catherine immediately ordered her sentries to open fire at her spectral twin, causing it to vanish without a trace. Not long after, Catherine mysteriously suffered a fatal stroke.
Catherine the Great
3. Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland, who reigned from 17 November 1558 until her death on 24 March 1603
One of the greatest and most influential monarchs in history, Queen Elizabeth I was known to be a level-headed and politically savvy monarch. Her 44 years on the throne provided her subjects with stability and consistency, and her sharp wit and clever mind guided the nation through religious and political turmoil.
Not long before her death, Queen Elizabeth was confronted by her ghostly doppelganger lying motionless like a corpse on her bed. It was considered an ominous portent as the Queen was already in frail condition. After the incident, it is said that she stayed up for hours and refused to rest, possibly lamenting her impending death.
Tomb of Queen Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey
4. John Dunne, the great English poet and founder of the Metaphysical Poets
Regarded as one of the most important names in English poetry, John Dunne saw the doppelganger of his wife during a business trip in Paris. He returned to England only to discover that she had delivered a stillborn baby at their London home.
His wife died five days after giving birth to their stillborn twelfth child. Donne mourned her deeply, and wrote of his love and loss in his 17th Holy Sonnet.
HOLY SONNETS XVII
Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt
To Nature, and to hers, and my good is dead,
And her soul early into heaven ravishèd,
Wholly on heavenly things my mind is set.Here the admiring her my mind did whet
To seek thee, God; so streams do show the head;
But though I have found thee, and thou my thirst hast fed,
A holy thirsty dropsy melts me yet.But why should I beg more love, whenas thou
Dost woo my soul, for hers offering all thine:
And dost not only fear lest I allow
My love to saints and angels, things divine,
But in thy tender jealousy dost doubt
Lest the world, flesh, yea, devil put thee out.
5. Percy Bysshe Shelley, the English Romantic poet of the 19th century and husband of Mary Shelley, the author of ‘Frankenstein’
Percy Bysshe Shelley’s life was cut short when he drowned whilst sailing in 1812. Although his death was officially ruled an accident, many speculated that he might have been murdered by an enemy who detested his vocal political beliefs.
Shortly before he drowned, Shelley is said to have told his wife, Mary, that he had met his doppelganger repeatedly. A close family acquaintance, Jane Williams, also confessed to seeing Shelley’s doppelganger on a few occasions prior to his death. It would pass her window, a route frequented by the real Shelley, but never returned upon hitting the dead end at the end of the road.
The literary power couple, Percy Bysshe Shelley (right) and his wife Mary Shelley (left)
6. Guy de Maupassant, the renowned French novelist
Considered one of the fathers of the modern short story, Guy de Maupassant had a rather long relationship with his doppelganger. There are two versions of the story.
The first tells of how his spectral counterpart would regularly appear to dictate stories to him. It is widely believed that “The Horla”, a spooky tale about a man who is driven to insanity after an evil spirit tries to use him as a host, was the story dictated to Maupassant.
The second rejects the idea of Maupassant’s doppelganger dictating stories to him and instead postulates that the apparition was haunting Maupassant with its frequent appearances and vanishing acts.
Guy de Maupassant
Regardless, both versions agree that the doppelganger constantly appeared to Maupassant, depressed and in despair. In a classic case of life imitating art, Maupassant was so unnerved by his ghostly twin that he had a mental breakdown and died in an insane asylum a year after his first encounter with his doppelganger.
7. George Tryon, highly decorated British Admiral and Commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet
Vice Admiral George Tryon
Vice Admiral George Tryon went down in naval history as having made a costly amateurish mistake which led to his flagship HMS Victoria colliding with HMS Camperdown during manoeuvres off Tripoli, Lebanon.
On 22nd June 1893, he perished along with 357 men in the Mediterranean Sea, unbeknownst to his wife who was then busy hosting a lavish party in their London home. Some party guests saw the Vice Admiral dressed in full uniform, as if he was commanding a drill, at the party that fateful day.
It is said that Tyron silently roamed around the house before solemnly heading to his drawing room, opening the door as if to leave before suddenly vanishing into thin air.
The HMS Victoria sank after the collision. Photo taken from HMS Collingwood. On the left is HMS Nile.
Other Appearances
There are also many recorded instances of doppelgangers wreaking havoc on the lives of the people they resemble, without causing an early demise.
One classic example can be found in a Danish legend, where a blacksmith rescued a pregnant woman from being abducted by a troll. After he scared the troll away with a hot iron from his forge, the woman went into labour and gave birth to twins before the blacksmith could return her to her husband. The blacksmith then offered to bring the good news to her husband so that he could come get her and their newborn twins. There are two different versions as to what happened next.
Artist’s impression of a medieval blacksmith
In the first version, the blacksmith entered her home and was stunned to find the woman’s husband in bed with her doppelganger. Fortunately for the woman, he recovered from the shock, dealt with the paranormal imposter and reunited the man with his true family.
The second version is almost the same, the difference being that the blacksmith was pre-warned about the possibility of meeting the woman’s doppelganger. It is also implied that the doppelganger masterminded the woman’s abduction by the troll so that it could take over her life.
There are also conspiracy theories, usually involving celebrities or public figures, where doppelgangers are said to have replaced their respective originators. A couple of prevailing examples include Sir James Paul McCartney from the iconic group, the Beatles, and American singer Avril Lavigne.
Is this the real Sir Paul McCartney or his doppelganger?
Proponents of this theory claim that Sir Paul died in 1966 but his death was covered up for monetary reasons and his doppelganger was hired to keep up the pretext. They maintain that evidence of this cover-up is hidden in plain sight — in song lyrics.
Similarly, the real Avril Lavigne is said to have committed suicide back in 2003 and since then, her doppelganger, Melissa has been secretly standing in for her.
The drastic departure from her previous appearance fans conspiracy theories that the current Avril Lavigne is a doppelganger.
A Benevolent Apparition?
There have been recorded instances of people meeting their doppelgangers and emerging unscathed. Such was the case of Sir Frederick Carne Rasch, a prominent member of the British Parliament in the 20th century.
Sir Frederick Carne
It is said that Sir Frederick Carne’s dedication to politics prompted the appearance of his doppelganger in a British Parliamentary sitting back in 1906. Down with severe influenza, the real Sir Frederick was not in attendance but several Parliament members attested to seeing him at his seat during that fateful Parliamentary debate session. In particular, Sir Gilbert Parker is said to have greeted Sir Frederick but his greeting was met with a grim, stony expression from the doppelganger.
Although his family was concerned that the appearance of the doppelganger was an ominous sign, Sir Frederick recovered from his illness and lived a full life. That being said, he was plagued by finger pokes from his fellow Parliament members for the longest time, as they wanted to verify he was the real deal. This culminated with him publishing his infamous sarcastic letter in the local newspaper, apologising that “he did not have the good sense to die at the time of the doppelganger sighting and promising to behave better next time”.
There are also instances where people have benefited from their doppelgangers. One such example is that of Sister Mary of Jesus (Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda) who took the doppelganger phenomenon to a whole new level.
At the turn of the 17th century, when exploration and discovery of new worlds had just become the in thing to do, many new explorers as well as missionaries were puzzled and perplexed to discover the presence and flourishing practice of Catholicism in the then-unchartered newly discovered land of New Mexico. The converted tribesmen of New Mexico claimed to have been given the practice and items of worship by a mysterious young lady in blue robes.
Thoroughly intrigued, a few priests searched high and low for the mysterious lady but failed to locate her. Their persistent efforts eventually led them to Sister Mary, dubbed ‘The Lady in Blue‘ after the colour of her order’s habit.
It was discovered that Sister Mary had never left the confines of her convent in rural Spain during the time she was supposedly spreading Catholicism in New Mexico, a location unknown to her and which she simply dubbed the “savage land”.
The doppelganger of Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda preaching the gospel to tribesmen
In essence, Sister Mary was converting the tribesmen via her doppelganger by bilocating across the ocean. She was able to accurately describe the land and even details of the Jamano Indians, including their appearance, clothing, and customs despite knowledge of the tribe being unknown in Europe then. She also maintained that she was able to communicate with the tribesmen despite obvious language barriers because God enabled both sides to understand each other.
Sister Mary was nearly persecuted as a witch for adopting this unconventional paranormal way of preaching Christianity. However, she ended up being a significant religious figure and even became a leader of her convent when her unique ability was declared to be of divine origin. Less than 10 years after her death, Sister Mary was declared a “Venerable” by Pope Clement X, in honour of her “heroic life of virtue”.
The incorruptible body of the Venerable María de Jesús de Ágreda in the Church of the Conceptionists Convent in Ágreda, Spain.
Modern Trends
In modern times, the ominous stigma of the doppelganger does not have as strong of a hold as before. In fact, social media today is full of people actively seeking out their lookalikes.
Take for example the success story of Niamh Geaney, said to be the epitome of this modern outlook. It all began with the 26-year-old Irish TV journalist, Niamh Geaney, posting an appeal on Twitter and Facebook for help in locating her lookalike. She found her first doppelganger, Karen Branigan who lived an hour away, within two weeks of her initial posting. Several weeks later, she found Luisa Guizzardi, her second doppelganger in Italy. Last but not least, she made contact with her third doppelganger, Irene Adams, back in Ireland. Niamh has since launched a website dedicated to facilitating the search for one’s doppelganger.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Doppelganger_Niamh_Twin Stranger.mp4
Another trending project involving doppelgangers is the art collaboration between Canadian museum Musée de la Civilisation, two other museums based in Switzerland — Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève as well as the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art — and François Brunelle, a Montréal-based photographer.
In short, Musée de la Civilisation in Quebec City is inviting people from around the world to send in their photographs in an effort to find their ancient doppelgangers. Those deemed to be close matches will then have their pictures taken by Brunelle alongside his or her ancient doppelgänger, to showcase their symmetry. The final collection of photographs will be featured as part of the museum’s yearlong exhibition, which is slated for 24th October 2018 through October 2019.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Doppelganger_My 2000-Year-Old Double.mp4
Francois Brunelle, who is no stranger to the doppelganger phenomenon, has also initiated his own photography project shooting lookalikes of unrelated people who live in different parts of the world. His work is displayed online at francoisbrunelle.com/web/projet_en.html
A Risky Endeavour?
With the amount of hype surrounding the finding of one’s doppelganger, there are also claims of misfortune befalling those who have sought out their lookalikes more than three times. From financial loss to sudden illness, physical harm or even death, such unfortunate incidents have been liberally shared online as cautionary tales, albeit anonymously.
The most drastic of these comes from an anonymous surviving brother as a warning to those thinking of finding their spirit doubles. He shares that his sister thought it would be fun to locate her doppelganger though social media. Having found her doppelganger, both his sister and the doppelganger were so fascinated by their uncanny similarities that they agreed to meet up and keep in touch.
Unfortunately after their third meeting, both the sister and her doppelganger met their deaths in the same manner — a car accident. It is not clear if they perished in the same accident or in separate accidents on the same day around the same time.
Regardless of whether you are a believer in the doppelganger phenomenon or otherwise, the doppelganger or spirit double has instilled both fear and wonder in people since time immemorial. And judging from the looks of things, it is likely to continue doing so.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelg%C3%A4nger
- http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/d/doppelganger/
- http://www.theparanormalguide.com/blog/doppelganger
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279851/Seeing-double-They-look-like-twins-incredibly-doppelgangers-ARENT-related.html
- http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/doppelgangers-and-mythology-spirit-doubles-001825?nopaging=1
- http://ascensionlifestyle.org/chi-in-african-igbo-culture/
- http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/doppelgangers-and-mythology-spirit-doubles-001825
- https://www.britannica.com/art/doppelganger
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_the_Great
- https://books.google.fi/books?id=73wZxrd6LLoC&pg=PA141
- https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-donne
- http://mythologian.net/doppelganger/
For more interesting information:
- Flatwoods Monster: Close Encounter of the Third Kind?
- The Eerie Enigma of the Mothman
- The Mysterious Dark Watchers
- Creepy Tales of the Lizard Man
- The Hidden Nature of Trolls
- The Mysterious Bermuda Triangle
- The World of Chinese Ghosts
- The Devil
- Legends of Mount Shasta
- The Dalai Lama Explains What Extraterrestrial Bodies Look Like
- Toyols: The Child-Spirits
- The Best Evidence of Sasquatch
- Interesting Signs of Reincarnation
- The Power of Sak Yant
- Searching For the Yeti
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
I think people like to search for their doppelganger mainly because they feel lonely and does not want to be alone in this planet. Do I believe in doppelganger.? Well, in recent incident a friend told me he “saw” me in office, but , that time, I am so sure that I wasn’t in office but I am walking outside of the office. It is strange when people told me he “saw” me. To me, I would not like to look for anyone similar to me because I believe everyone is unique unless we reach Buddhahood than maybe we have the ability to emanate many ” “doppelganger.” to help and benefit sentient beings, other wise, why have so many of me, that might going through the same suffering like me? One is enough
Listening to the chanting of sacred words, melodies, mantras, sutras and prayers has a very powerful healing effect on our outer and inner environments. It clears the chakras, spiritual toxins, the paths where our ‘chi’ travels within our bodies for health as well as for clearing the mind. It is soothing and relaxing but at the same time invigorates us with positive energy. The sacred sounds invite positive beings to inhabit our environment, expels negative beings and brings the sound of growth to the land, animals, water and plants. Sacred chants bless all living beings on our land as well as inanimate objects. Do download and play while in traffic to relax, when you are about to sleep, during meditation, during stress or just anytime. Great to play for animals and children. Share with friends the blessing of a full Dorje Shugden puja performed at Kechara Forest Retreat by our puja department for the benefit of others. Tsem Rinpoche
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbzgskLKxT8&t=5821s
A great and interesting write up about duality of doppelgangers. Very eyeopening which si something i never really heard of thought of. Thank you Rinpoche and Cindy for sharing this good story??
Dear Cindy,
Very nice article on doppelgängers.
Modern era people really do not care much of potential dangers of meeting their doubles as they are more driven by curiosity. With digital technology and social media, it makes it even easier to locate our doubles, clearly with the case of Niamh.
It is only the last few years I came across this term and it got me thinking whether there really is a parallel universe where we have another us living a similar, or different lives and what impact it would have cost if we actually ever met each other.
Of course another thinking would be time travel, and as most theories suggested, if we were to meet each other, our very existence would have to be wiped out? Hmm…
What was amazing was I never knew doppelgängers goes all the way back in the 16th century, and it was more apparitions than physical bodies that met. Makes you wonder if they were demons or ghosts taking on our looks to replace us in the living realm.
Anyway, was mind boggling and blowing for me.
Thank you.
Dopplegangers phenomenon are a question of probability, what is the probability that one will meet their twins look alike. If you ask any statisticians they would be able to calculate the probability of one having a twin on this planet.
This is an interesting article especially with it has proven real with the story of Niamh Geaney. I guess everyone would be guessing where their own doppelganger would be as I do. I had the experience of seeing a doppelganger of my aunty’s sister-in-law. A student in our school in UK looked exactly like her, in every mannerism down to the mole. The only difference was that one was black haired and the other was blond although they had the same hair cut. Fascinated, I would stare at my school mate whenever I saw her.
This article brings to mind that if humans could have doppelganger that looks like them yet are not related, then the idea of holy beings emanating shouldn’t be far fetched to those who are doubtful. Isn’t it amazing? Thanks Rinpoche and Cindy for this article that provokes further thoughts that challenges our norm or reality.
Thank you Cindy for this very interesting article about doppelgangers or spirit doubles . In most cases they appear to be ‘evil’ or sinister beings and were harbingers of misfortune or even death of their living double. Yet in the case of Sister Mary of Spain who had never left the shores of Spain, and whose double appeared in New Mexico across the seas on the other shore to teach and spread the word of God,at the same time, it does not seem right to dismiss her double as a spirit. The appearance of her doppelganger to spread the word of God was confirmed by her church as being of divine origin.
So this still begs the question -are all doppelgangers spirits or are some of them spirits and some of divine origin?
I was most amazed when I watched the video on how people found their doppelgängers. And they are at the almost same age! That’s truly amazing. Countless sentient beings crossing each other, taking rebirth at every moment, so I think it’s really possible that’s this happen. . I’m interested to find my doppelgänger too heheh..
Where by the doppelgänger that encountered like a spirit that look like the physical person, I think because spirit has no form hence when they attracted to this person, it turned itself to look the same to the person it attracted to. The intention of this spirit attracted to can be good or bad depends on the karma we had with the spirit .
Another thought of mine is, there are sentient being all over the universe. May be there were another me staying at the other uniserve doing the same thing as me. Sometimes we bump into each other when both space cross.
I find interesting reading this article about doppelganger. In Chinese, we beliave human have 3 soul and 7 spirit. It is not ready as ghost. Some people have experince when they sleep , soul will treval out from the body. Apart from near death, people also experince treval out when they having addcident, get shock and attachment with thing and places. Subconsciousness, their soul with that consciousness will traveling to other places apart from the body. This is something interesting to know about doppelganger.
Reading this article remind me of something i heard since child, there is a saying in taoism that every human being has 3 souls and 7 spirits (3 hun 7 po), when we saw our spirits somewhere out there, means we are almost dying and the 3 souls and 7 spirits are leaving our body..
This is very interesting article to read, everyday there are so many things happened in the world, and many things we never know, thanks to Rinpoche blog that we can learn so much knowledge of Dharma and what’s happening in the world.
It is kind of interesting as nowadays people start to use the internet to find their Doppelgänger and even compare themselves with historic people. But I think those Doppelgànger which were described such as Catherine the Great, or Emilie Sagee for example are not human in nature and we cannot trust them. They may take the form of the person to make them less scared and easier connect with them. In the end, we have no idea with who we are dealing with and we better ask for protection for example from Dorje Shugden.
We need to remember always that we can only trust a Buddha as he will never harm us.
Here is the link to the Trakze, the wrathful form of Dorje Shugden who is very effective with black magic or spirit disturbances: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html
I think doppelgangers are spirits or ghost that take in our form. Like mentioned in the article, when the person see their doppelganger, they would be getting weaker and their life was getting shorter. Actually, of all the topics, I find this quite scary. I wouldn’t know how would I react if I see one, be it my doppelganger or my friends’ or family members’ doppelganger.
But on the other hand, reading this article makes me think that actually we are not alone in this universe. Doppelgangers could be from other dimension. Since Scientists haven’t given up the search for 3rd dimension, like Bermuda triangle, the ship disappear when it passed by there. It doesn’t have a firm answer what could be in the 3rd dimension. What if there are actually people there look exactly like us, living like us, but maybe in different lifestyle? We don’t know. This makes me think that we are actually not alone in the universe.
When I’m reading on last column of article, I found it quite scary and it is look like a taboo of searching your own doppelganger. In my opinion, assisting of doppelganger might be due to karma related such as previous life these people are multiple birth group of people.
I think doppelgangers could be ghosts, spirits or entities. Whether they are evil, positive, mischievous or neutral would maybe depend on the karma of the living person they are attracted to. Perhaps a person who is, say, angersome, the doppelganger could appear for that person and to others to see. Maybe it is there to feed on the anger. Perhaps it appears to look like the person so that person would not be afraid of it. If the doppelganger is evil, maybe it would eventually ‘consume’ or take over the person, making that person appear as like in a constant trance state of mind.
I opine that people who look alike with each other but who live very far apart could probably share some common ancient ancestry where their ancestors moved away from each other. The ancestors married and settled down far away. And their descendants could have offsprings who may look like each other even after centuries. With modern technology people now can trace friends, relatives, lost family members across the globe as shown here in the video.
Most of the stories about Doppelgangers from the past are with bad endings. However, I’m looking if one day I can actually meet a Doppelganger of myself, which we share every thought and Everything, we could actually be partner up and get things done faster and efficiently just like Buddhas having emanations??
In the article ,it seems that the doppelganger happens only in the western. It might have existed because the community believes in it and with the believe, it feeds the existence of it. In my opinion, seeing a doppelganger is a normal thing and nothing to be fear of. Does that mean twins are doppelganger of themselves? At times I have people who mistaken another person for me just because we look the same from behind. So is it a spirit or just merely an angel who takes in our own form to send us a message?
The mythology of Doppelgangers can be traced back thousands of years and was present in many cultures of the past, holding a prominent place in ancient legends, stories, artworks, and in books by various authors.
Doppelgangers generally considered as omens of bad luck or even signs of impending death but on some account I have heard that they provide helps. The spirit that shadow the subject must have attracted to the energy. From there whether the double is harmful or helpful would be depend on the type of energy they attracted. I believe on Doppelgangers and what important is we have a right conduct for not attracting negative energy. It is best we engage in protector practice for protection and learn up the Dharma to transform our mind as we don’t know what we had done wrongly before that causes such situation.
The earlier part of this article is a bit spooky and scary. It is like a spirit trying to take over your body. The later part which is the modern day life talks about the look alikes which we often see in our daily lives. Frankly speaking, I do not know this word “doppelganger” until I came across this article.
如果我没错Jean Paul（Richter）里的Doppelgangers这个词是指的是看到自己的人。而后它更倾向于邪恶和恶魔，我的看法是我们都有善与恶的俩面，每一面都是另一面存在的必要条件，这就是在生活里有时候是好人，有时候是坏人，可惜的是很多人都不知如何处理。恶魔般的一面被压抑并服从于一个完美无缺的绝对好人，一旦爆发就会伤害他人，所以我们需要修行，修行的最基本是让自己看清楚自己，改善自己。
其实看看现代的Twitter 和 Facebook， 很多人都在扮演自己不可能在现实生活中出现的自己，所以没用真名。
It would be very scary to be like Emilie Sagee. She was haunted all the time and can’t do anything about it for such a long time.
I have two separate thoughts on this post.
For the ‘older’ news of doppelgänger it could be an entity that is feeding on negative emotions and it manifested as a doppelgänger and that is why it is known to mostly do harm than good.
The living doppelgänger that we see today could be because of our DNA. As many of us can’t trace our origins and there are billions of others in the world, it could be that we were somehow related to some other person that we do not know. I watched a documentary on how DNA testing were able to look at specific locations of a person’s genome in order to determine ancestral ethnicity and genealogical relationships. Which means that we have relatives who might look like us just like a doppelgänger would somewhere out there.
The question that came to my mind reading this article was “Are Doppelgangers spirits, entities of another realm or real life physical beings?”.
During historical times when minds are not so crowded with materialistic thoughts and cravings, sensitivities to phenomena like Doppelgangers were more real and people were more sensitive to the supernatural and occurrences of Doppelgangers are better recorded.
For current times, the sighting or perception of Doppelgangers could be publicity play for attention and fame.
Personally having learnt the Dharma and more sensitivity to the existence of various forms of life, I believe that Doppelgangers exist and can be for purposes of both good and bad.
In most of the stories related, Doppelgangers were the fore bearers of something bad, yet in the case of Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda, whose doppelganger was used to teach and preached Christianity in a newly discovered land of New Mexico was definitely something good.
At the end of it all, it is the motivation for the existence of Doppelgangers that make their existence good or bad.
Thank you Rinpoche and Cindy for sharing.
Sometimes we couldn’t identify whether is spirits or Doppelganger.
If is spirits, could it be seeking attention?
Heard of it from my past company experience where some could see the same person wearing different outfit on the same day but infact is only one outfit and appearing in different department at the same time.
There are alot of unexplained stuff in this world.
Thank you for this interesting read. Before reading this post, I thought that doppelgangers are people who look like another person but after reading this post, some questions popped into my mind. Is our doppelganger actually who we really are? Or perhaps our twin from a different realm who happens to visit our current realm? Or a reflection of ourselves from another lifetime? Or are doppelgangers a form of spirits who manifest our likeness to create mischief?
As a fan of Beatles, I am curious about the song you are referring to. Please share if you can.
Thank you, Rinpoche and Cindy. Indeed interesting to explore the mysterious world of doppelgangers.
Thanks for encouraging words and basically in the course of earlier research, the following songs which were heavily touted as having clues from the guilt-ridden surviving band members’ that hinted at McCartney’s untimely death.
“The cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, is supposedly a big clue, with theorists asserting that the image of a whole cadre of the band’s heroes is not just a gathering, but a funeral. They point to the freshly dug earth in the foreground, the younger Beatles all dressed in black, and a patch of yellow flowers prominently displayed in the front — could it be a nod to the left-handed bassist?
Fans who believed in the theory started looking for hints in the band’s songs as well, and found quite a few eerie coincidences.
Perhaps one of the best-known is their 1968 track “Revolution #9,” which, if played backward, has one part that sounds a lot like a violent car crash and a voice that can be made out to be saying, “He hit a pole! Better get him to see a surgeon.”
The supposed audio clues didn’t stop there. Play “I’m So Tired” backwards, and you get a recorded phrase that sounds kind of like, “Paul is dead, miss him, miss him.” Slow down “Strawberry Fields Forever” and you can hear John saying, “I buried Paul.” (In interviews, however, Lennon has explained that the phrase was actually “cranberry sauce.”)
Then there’s the famous cover for Abbey Road, in which all four bandmates are crossing the street toward their studio. At first glance, the image looks harmless. Conspiracy theorists, however, are convinced that the album is a huge confirmation that McCartney is, in fact, dead.
In the picture, John is wearing all white, just like a priest; Ringo’s all dressed in black like a pallbearer; and George is bringing up the rear in a blue-jean getup, the gravedigger of the group.
And Paul? The supposedly deceased Beatle walks shoeless across the road, theorists say, because he’s dead.
Yet another example that theorists point to is the significance of the black walrus that appears on the cover of their 1967 album Magical Mystery Tour. According to these theorists, the black walrus symbolizes death in certain Scandinavian cultures, and McCartney was undoubtedly in that animal costume.
And in a truly bizarre coincidence – or was it? – on a later Beatles release, the White Album, Lennon sings on one track, “Glass Onion”: “Well here’s another clue for you all – the walrus was Paul!”
Thank you for sharing that, Cindy. When I was younger, I thought that their album covers were rather odd and put it down to my lack of imagination but now it is making more sense.
Doppelganger is a Germanic word, and usually is associated to bad luck or impending death if one saw one’s doppelganger.
The example of sister Maria converting Mexican tribes people, is according to the Christians a great example of the divine at work. Still it could be freaky to meet one’s doppelganger.
Last Saturday, at an event marking 60 years of Tibetans being recipients of Indian kindness, Lobsang Sangay mentioned that the exiled Tibetans should strengthen their efforts to make the Dalai Lama’s return to his Potala Palace a reality.
Representing the Indian government, Ram Madhav, a leader in the governing Bharatiya Janata party, echoed Sangay’s statement with hope that the Dalai Lama will be able to “return to your homeland” through peaceful and democratic means.
This event was originally planned to be held in Delhi but it was cancelled and relocated to Dharamsala. At the same time, Indian officials were directed by their Foreign Secretary to avoid events hosted by the Tibetan leadership, since they coincided with a “sensitive time” for Delhi’s relations with Beijing. India’s volte-face approach in shunning the Tibetans, with the unprecedented cancellation of many key Tibetan events, is now being viewed as a clear sign that India is no longer willing to be collateral damage in the Tibetan quest to agitate China over the so-called Tibetan cause.
With mounting pressure from India to not hurt their relations with China, the tone of the message this time around seems to be that of a plea with only one goal in mind: for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet and reunite with Tibetans inside Tibet. Could it be that after 60 years, the Tibetan leadership has finally realised their fight against China is a futile one, and they should start looking at more achievable goals? May the aspirations of millions of Tibetans to see the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet be fulfilled and in the words of Madhav, that ” it will not take that long for you (Tibetans) to be back home.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/01/pm-in-exile-urges-tibetans-to-make-dalai-lamas-return-a-reality
Wow first time coming across this word which I have not heard of. A new word for me………so a doppelgänger is a look-alike or double of a living person. The myth of spirit doubles—doppelgängers—has existed since ancient Egypt. Those days people believe that meeting someone who looks alike is an omen of bad luck . Its interesting to me to bring together people who share an uncanny resemblance . It seem that double spirits sightings but no family ties have been reported throughout in the 19th century of historical figures .Through reading this interesting article there were indeed a number of cases of doppelgänger and it exist definitely.
Thank you Rinpoche and Cindy Hew for this sharing.