Tibetan vs. Twin Peaks Lore: Tulpas

We all know Agent Cooper was greatly into Tibetan Buddhism from when he discussed its slight history with Sheriff Truman, Deputies Hawk and Andy, and Lucy. He even admitted that from a dream, he gained the high intellect of that of the Dalai Llama. He has a very deep connection to the religion's spirituality, which clearly paves the way to the main topic of this article.

In Tibetan Buddhism, there sprung the true origins of the tulpa. Now, in this religion, the tulpa is regarded as 'a materialized being or thought-form, typically in human form that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration.' (according to Wikipedia) It came about as a way of expressing the earthly bodies that a Buddha manifests to teach those who have not attained Nirvana (no, not that 90's band called Nirvana :). 

There are people in Tibet who practice bringing about these entities. They are called tulpamancers and they, through possible meditation, can achieve the creation of a tulpa.

Now, in Twin Peaks: The Return, it is shown that a tulpa is a duplicate of an individual. It is manufactured from seed and organic material from the template being a human and possibly an animal. These seeds or organic materials include hair, which we saw when Cooper gives MIKE to create another tulpa of himself for Janey-E and Sonny Jim.  It is also shown that a tulpa can retain memories from the template so that it can camouflage well in its new life.

It would be interesting to know if Tibetan Buddhism and the Twin Peaks lore could be connected. Are there those in Tibet who are given the gift from the Black and White Lodges to make tulpas of their own? Or are they the main manufacturers used by the Lodges to go forward with their ploys? 

It is an interesting topic to dive into, and Cooper being so invested in religion in general sparks much curiosity and mystery. We only see Good Cooper/Mr. C make tulpas of their own preferences. The spirit and mind of Agent Cooper as a whole could've possibly been a tulpamancer, and since Mr. C is his dark doppelganger, he too would have the same powers to create Dougie Jones and the tulpa of Diane Evans. 

Though there is this conspiracy that Annie Blackburn could be a tulpa, it is as strange to think who would've created her because we know no one who could've. And besides, a piece of the real Annie would've been used in the tulpa-making process. Perhaps she wasn't a tulpa after all, or even a doppelganger or a real human being... 

A tulpa has been thought of as an 'imaginary friend' by psychiatrists, and a mental disorder. Maybe it was all in everyone's head that she existed in Twin Peaks or in general. A spell cast by the Black Lodge to lure Cooper into their very grasp.

(Also, a llama was at the vet and looked at Cooper face-to-face... any connection to the Dalai Llama perhaps?)

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.