Top 12 Ball Lightning Folklore from Around the World: #7 Will Send Chills Down Your Spine

11. The Psychic Projections of Tibetan Mysticism

Ball lightning gains a great spiritual component in the mystical traditions of Tibet, usually understood as a sign of superior psychic or meditation ability. Tibetan Buddhist legend holds that great concentration and spiritual energy produce these brilliant spheres, sometimes referred to as "tulpa," or thought-forms. Said to be able to create these brilliant orbs by strict mental discipline and esoteric techniques, masters of Tibetan mysticism Considered as physical representations of ideas, the tulpa can interact with the real world and exist apart from their producer. Although other stories have these psychic projections in more complicated forms, the simplest and most often occurring form is apparently a sphere of radiant energy, much as ball lightning. Stories of monks and yogis who could call forth these spheres at will and use them for anything from illumination in dark caves to protection from evil spirits to support of meditation and spiritual practices abound in Tibetan folklore. Certain legends claim that especially strong tulpa could be endowed with specialized chores or even a degree of consciousness, acting as messengers or guards. Beyond simple mythology, the idea is fundamental in some Tibetan Buddhist philosophical and mystical traditions. By means of the development of tulpa, advanced practitioners are supposed to explore the nature of reality and consciousness, therefore attesting to the ability of the mind to shape the physical universe. Some esoteric schools hold that one can acquire understanding of the false character of physical reality and progress on the road to enlightenment by learning to construct these thought-forms. Although some critics may write off these stories as simple superstition or hallucination, the fact that this idea persists in Tibetan society emphasizes the close relationship between spiritual practice and the view of enigmatic events like ball lightning. Combining old knowledge with the mysterious qualities of a natural phenomenon that still baffles modern science, this interpretation presents a different view on the nature of consciousness and its possibility to show in the physical world.