Recognized western tulkus (the reincarnated masters) started to appear in Tibetan Buddhism in the 1970s. This was unprecedented and challenging because the tulkus born and raised in the west may have lacked a firm, supportive religious system and community in which to grow as tulkus unlike in Tibet. Cultural and religious distinctions differ as does the self-identity and training of western tulkus. The family situation of the western tulkus might aggravate the problems in some extent. How do they face this issue after their recognition and enthronement, and response to their religious requirements and obligations? The situation and difficulties of western tulkus, especially their reincarnated identity and status, are presented and discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, when contemporary famous Tibetan Buddhist masters travelled and visited the western world, for example, the 14th Dalai Lama and 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, who drew the attention of the mass media and then influenced the western film industry to develop an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and adopt related materials for cinematic representation. In this trend towards Buddhist films, documentary has gained more emphasis. Therefore, this paper focuses on the Tibetan Buddhist documentary, Tulku (2009), which was directed by Gesar Mukpo, an American/Canadian tulku, in order to discuss the dilemma of western tulkus regarding their lineage, identity, and education. Since the narration of Tulku is full of destructive, self-reflexive features which shown a touch of postmodernist and anti-orientalist style, it brings a new scope of interpretation, anticipation and reflection about western tulkus.
