Draft:Reincarnisation

Reincarnisation is a term used in anthropology to refer to the process of upward social mobility in Bhutanese society by which a Buddhist master is reborn as a reincarnate Lama tulku in a family of small (chung) or medium (ding) group. This process, in addition to economic and political gains, allows the family members attain the big (che) category through the affiliation to higher divinities manifested in the form of the tulku. It was first used by a Bhutanese anthropologist Kelzang T. Tashi while studying social stratification and social mobility in Bhutan.

According to Kelzang T. Tashi, recarnisation is distinct from reincarnation, in that every being in culturally Tibetan Buddhist worlds is believed to be a reincarnation of a particular being, such as an animal, an ordinary person, a worldly deity, or an insect, but rarely a reincarnate Buddhist master, and even more rarely Buddha or Bodhisattva. Unlike reincarnisation, reincarnation does not always result in higher status or upward social mobility.

Reincarnisation is not restricted to the system of rebirths of high Buddhist masters, as ordinary monks may also be regarded as emanations of some Buddhists masters at some point in their lives after their spiritual accomplishment and subsequently may be reborn as a tulku.

Reincarnisation functions similarly to Sanskritisation, as both are concerned with achieving upward mobility into higher social hierarchy. However, unlike in Sanskritisation, mere adoption and emulation of Buddhist literature and rituals by people do not always lead to upward mobility, unless they are recognised as tulkus or have attained spiritual realisation.