I assume most of us have seen Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Little Buddha. If you have not seen it, you may want to stop reading this email at this point, as I am about to spoil the plot with my question.

Have there been any historical cases of a tülku being certified as having been reborn in more than one body at the same time? In the film, the three children who are candidates for the reincarnation of Lama Dorje are all determined to be his reincarnation. Is this based on any actual historical precedent?

I seem to recall this being the case, but I have searched in vain for the reference (if it does, indeed, exist).

Dr. Jeffery D. Long
Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, & Asian Studies
School of Arts & Humanities
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA

https://etown.academia.edu/JefferyLong

Series Editor, Explorations in Indic Traditions: Ethical, Philosophical, and Theological
Lexington Books

“One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life.” (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)

“We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself.” (Carl Sagan)