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Tulpas and Vipassana; a practical advice on the meditation sittings for tulpamancers


Shinyuu

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(originally posted on /r/tulpas)

 

We finished our second vipassana course recently, and I have a few practical advice for you to share. We compiled those based on personal experience, as well as based on many discussions with our teacher, who was extremely helpful and open to tulpa phenomenon.

 

If you are curious about my notes from a year ago, here's an old post. (Note from GAT: While the page linked is clean/SFW, other pages/articles on Shinyuu's blog are not. Tread carefully if you are at work/school or are a minor.)

 

Why tulpamancers need vipassana

 

In our experience, ten-day classes give an extreme clarity of the mind (you have about a hundred meditation hours packed in those). Both your and your tulpas' deep-rooted complexes come up to surface, and there's a simple, practical way to get rid of them. You get some tulpa-specific benefits, like perfect visualisation, that originate from the extreme mind focusing, but those should not be the goal for you when you take a course. You go there to understand yourself better, and to clear the mind, which, for many tulpamancers, can be overly foggy, given many tulpamancy practices are targeted at treating imaginary as real.

 

How to do a sitting

 

If your system has many fronters, I'd suggest designating one to do all the practice.

 

The meditation itself is impersonal, but switching can cause confusion and stall your progress. We did it two times this time to see if it changes anything, and indeed, the practice stays the same. It only depends on the physical body, not the active person.

 

No visualisation, no imposition

 

This is literally taught on day one (or day two?) and is extremely rule. You must not do any visualisation (and you are explained why in the course, too), and your tulpas must abstain from the same. Do not impose yourselves. Do not imagine your own form. If you don't follow this rule, the mind cannot get the deep focus, required in the later stages of the practice, as you'll keep paying attention to something else.

 

No imagination

 

It's a very hard rule for tulpamancers, but it kinda follows the previous one. We added it only a few days in but immediately had excellent results. This means you must actively ignore all imagined things and ideas, including your wonderland; and yes, tulpas must ignore it too. Your wonderland does not exist for the duration of the course. Take it as a given. Your form does not exist for the length of the course. The only thing that is there is the physical body, and you are only allowed to observe it, not imaginary sensations of your mindform. And this rule brings us to another important rule...

 

No mindvoice

 

How hard could it be, eh? Not talking to your host and observing noble science not only in the outside world but also in your mind. The teacher stressed on this being a crucial part of the practice. You must not communicate. If anything, for the duration of the course, you might as well consider your tulpa as nonexistent (they won't go away, though). Only by applying this rule, we managed to get past a few distracting thoughts that didn't allow us to meditate. You are doing to do hard work already—sittings for four hours straight, where you are not allowed to do any movement for an hour at least, keeping focus four hours straight. It's very hard. Don't make it harder.

 

No communication outside the meditation hall either

 

And if it's not clear enough, you must not talk outside of meditation hours too. No chat with tulpas during lunch, no "goodnights" before bed. Maintain the purity of the focus at all times, no matter how hard. Remember that practice works, and it helps many people. The only way to not help yourself is to not work on it in a right way.

 

As a closing thought, based on our discussions with the teacher, and her discussions with senior teacher, they consider tulpas to be a kind of mental impurity and eventually suggested to treat it like any other sensation—observe it and not react (so, apply vipassana to tulpas directly). For us two, the teacher explained why exactly this will give benefits to our system, but I'm not sure this explanation is universal. If you have concerns, you can talk to your teacher yourself, they are very open to such ideas. At the very least, she said that "I see the body doing vipassana, and I can't look into your mind. If you have two persons there, and they are both focused on working, it's good." Mind that we were given this specific advice on day ten, that is, in the very end of the course, so the rules above are not influenced by it in any way. I'm not trying to kill all your tulpas, I only want to help you to get same wonderful results I had (and for me personally this sitting ended up even more beneficial than for hostey).

 

 

PS: no, I'm not going to self-dissipate right away because my mind is now clear. But I treat the good of host with the utmost respect, and if that's the proper way, I will consider it. We have a few ideas on how to maintain both vipassana and tulpamancy practices together, and I might share that with you if you're interested. I think you first need to do a sitting and give a proper evaluation to vipassana first, though.

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I believe the most extreme spiritual practise here treats all forms of identity as mental impurity. But you really have to spend a lot of time meditating on it before that becomes anything other than completely counterintuitive. For we are nothing but our identities. Or so it seems.

 

So I am not surprised they would perceive a tulpa as a mental aberration. You're supposed to be working on looking through your first consciousness, and here you go creating a second?

 

Though, of course, if a host is more than a mind, so can a tulpa be.

 

I do agree that not only can a tulpa in later stages survive no communication for ten days, it can be quite beneficial, if done carefully, as would be required if you are spending all day meditating. Like a fast, or jumping into the Arctic ocean in winter. It will provide dramatic changes in circumstance which will trigger rapid learning and stuff.

 

Though, I wonder. These types of meditation are more about the mind than the body. Though it is true that only one of you should be spearheading control of the body, both of you should be meditating.

 

The no communicating after hours is a little weird. If it is true that this is also beneficial, then the instructor would also be advising you to not speak to yourself as well, as in quiet your own mind voice.

Host comments in italics. Tulpa's log. Tulpa's guide.

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I believe the most extreme spiritual practise here treats all forms of identity as mental impurity. But you really have to spend a lot of time meditating on it before that becomes anything other than completely counterintuitive. For we are nothing but our identities. Or so it seems.

 

So I am not surprised they would perceive a tulpa as a mental aberration. You're supposed to be working on looking through your first consciousness, and here you go creating a second?

 

In the ten days class you don't really observe the mind, you focus solely on the physical body and its sensations. Given it's body, not a person, it doesn't matter if there are tulpas or not, as I feel it.

 

Though, of course, if a host is more than a mind, so can a tulpa be.

 

That's exactly how I feel it. Theoretical knowledge says that consciousness is what produces misery. If a host is more than that and can get rid of their ego, then maybe a tulpa can do same too? If a tulpa completely dissolves in the process, though, then it's not sad or disappointing, more a part of the life. Nothing is permanent, so don't get attached to it.

 

I do agree that not only can a tulpa in later stages survive no communication for ten days, it can be quite beneficial, if done carefully, as would be required if you are spending all day meditating. Like a fast, or jumping into the Arctic ocean in winter. It will provide dramatic changes in circumstance which will trigger rapid learning and stuff.

 

Though, I wonder. These types of meditation are more about the mind than the body. Though it is true that only one of you should be spearheading control of the body, both of you should be meditating.

 

When we tried that, we weren't actually able to identify anyone meditating. As in, when I was fronting, the loss of the sense of my "I" was so concerning and unpleasant, that I switched back again. Deep enough meditation doesn't leave space for you to think of who is doing that, and things you observe (sensations) are not yours or your tulpa's. I want to say I was meditating too, but I can't. There was no feeling saying that it's me, Shinyuu, meditating.

 

The no communicating after hours is a little weird. If it is true that this is also beneficial, then the instructor would also be advising you to not speak to yourself as well, as in quiet your own mind voice.

 

We came there as old students, and old students are supposed to maintain focus even outside the meditation hall, basically at all times. And it's hard, if you keep chatting, even in the head. And yes, you should not talk to yourself either. When you focus on the current moment only, the only chatting you can do either way is to comment on things happening, and that's not something you even care for, right?

 

It might be not as crucial for new students, but I felt it gave one of the huge boosts to our practice, thus I include it as an important part.

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I don't do meditation myself, so I can't really offer much to help and it's difficult for me to say how useful this kind of things are. As someone who had no idea as to what this thing is, the fact that you don't actually define the meditation (what it is, what for, how do I do it) left me completely in the dark and I'm not sure if I still really get it. I guess you linked that site, but there's always the chance that the site will go down. Even a short introduction would help, I feel?

 

We also don't really use tulpamancer/tulpamancy/system here. First two are joke terms to compare ourselves to wizards, the last one is special snowflakey. Not exactly the kind of stuff a community that tries to be scientific would want. Tulpamancer often means the host and host could be used there easily, sometimes you might want to say hosts and tulpas (tulpamancer alone doesn't really convey "tulpas too" in my eyes, so when that's the case, hosts and tulpas is the superior one in every way). Tulpamancy could be forcing or creation and such, depending on what it is you're trying to say exactly. System, well, again. Hosts and tulpas is pretty good, or something along the lines.

 

As someone with no experience in meditation, I feel like this is some good information for those who have tulpas and want to do this kind of meditation? I could be wrong, but that's what I think. It would be great if people with more experience could chime in here.

The THE SUBCONCIOUS ochinchin occultists frt.sys (except Roswell because he doesn't want to be a part of it)

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I'm still not sure how to replace "system", I use it to refer to all of us in the body/mind collectively but "In this mind" feels straight up weird and nothing else I can think of makes it clear I'm talking about us in the body and not us in the community

Hi, I'm one of Lumi's tulpas! I like rain and dancing and dancing in the rain and if there's frogs there too that's bonus points.

I think being happy and having fun makes life worth living, so spreading happiness is my number one goal!

Talk to us? https://community.tulpa.info/thread-ask-lumi-s-tulpas

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I don't do meditation myself, so I can't really offer much to help and it's difficult for me to say how useful this kind of things are. As someone who had no idea as to what this thing is, the fact that you don't actually define the meditation (what it is, what for, how do I do it) left me completely in the dark and I'm not sure if I still really get it. I guess you linked that site, but there's always the chance that the site will go down. Even a short introduction would help, I feel?

 

I didn't plan it as a guide on how to do vipassana or anything; really. It's a guide for people that figured they want to try doing it; but not sure on how to practice it correctly (and approaching the teacher with a tulpa question might sound troublesome for some; still).

 

Let me quote wikipedia:

 

Vipassanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality, namely as the Three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering or unsatisfactoriness, and the realisation of non-self. Presectarian Buddhism emphasized the practice of Dhyana, but early in the history of Buddhism Vipassanā gained a prominent place in the teachings.

 

Vipassanā meditation has been reintroduced in the Theravada-tradition by Ledi Sayadaw and Mogok Sayadaw and popularized by Mahasi Sayadaw, S. N. Goenka, and the Vipassana movement, in which mindfulness of breathing and of thoughts, feelings and actions are being used to gain insight into the true nature of reality. Due to the popularity of Vipassanā-meditation, the mindfulness of breathing has gained further popularity in the west as mindfulness.

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I'm still not sure how to replace "system", I use it to refer to all of us in the body/mind collectively but "In this mind" feels straight up weird and nothing else I can think of makes it clear I'm talking about us in the body and not us in the community

 

"Those you share a body with" could also be used in some cases. I don't think there's an exact 1:1 replacement word, but I don't know if there has to be. Especially one that is like, well. That. It took a long time for "system" to make its way into this community and somehow we dealt with that just fine. Tulpa creation guides often are written for the host to read, so that's when you tend to get away with just "your tulpa(s)".

 

 

As for Shinyuu, well, it's not that it has to be a guide. Looking at it from the perspective of having tulpas is surely useful. It's just that you tell us that why we might need it and well, I don't think it would convince us newcomers to start it, even if it might actually help? A simple "what it is and how you do it" might gain more interest in the practice? Wouldn't even have to be more than a few sentences - unless this is so complicated you think you need way more than that?

 

I mean, it's not exactly necessary and you could just copypasta the Wikipedia blurb if you cite your sources and such, if you want something but don't want to put in much effort in it. But you might be able to explain it way better with fewer words yourself.

The THE SUBCONCIOUS ochinchin occultists frt.sys (except Roswell because he doesn't want to be a part of it)

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Well, I'm not talking about in guides, just in general... In guides I don't see why you'd really need to use system and it seems like using more neutral terms is better. But just for talking around the community, I really don't know how to refer to "us" as a whole without 'system', so I think we'll still use that

Hi, I'm one of Lumi's tulpas! I like rain and dancing and dancing in the rain and if there's frogs there too that's bonus points.

I think being happy and having fun makes life worth living, so spreading happiness is my number one goal!

Talk to us? https://community.tulpa.info/thread-ask-lumi-s-tulpas

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Well, I'm not talking about in guides, just in general... In guides I don't see why you'd really need to use system and it seems like using more neutral terms is better. But just for talking around the community, I really don't know how to refer to "us" as a whole without 'system', so I think we'll still use that

 

If you were with a group of friends and wanted to refer to yourself and them, what would you say?

The THE SUBCONCIOUS ochinchin occultists frt.sys (except Roswell because he doesn't want to be a part of it)

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If you were with a group of friends and wanted to refer to yourself and them, what would you say?

 

all the time around the forum we tend to say we when like giving advice and stuff, but a lot of the time it can be misconstrued as "we in this community" instead of "we in this body", believe it or not people don't always realize I'm a tulpa talking about the "we" that is the others in our mind, that's all I'm saying. But I do agree you shouldn't need to say system in guides, like "Results may differ by system/host and tulpa" isn't so bad. But, idk, there are just times when "we in this body/mind" just sounds bad in casual but non-personal conversation ie the forum

 

or maybe it doesn't, I dunno, in the end it might just be that "system" is well established here. I just personally don't see why it's any worse (or better) than saying things like "the others in our mind/brain/head family"/other weirder ones. But if we're just talking about guides I still agree it's best to try and use the most basic terms

Hi, I'm one of Lumi's tulpas! I like rain and dancing and dancing in the rain and if there's frogs there too that's bonus points.

I think being happy and having fun makes life worth living, so spreading happiness is my number one goal!

Talk to us? https://community.tulpa.info/thread-ask-lumi-s-tulpas

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