K'anpo Rimpoche

K'anpo Rimpoche was a Buddhist honorific title used by K'anpo and Cho-Je, two incarnations of a Time Lord who left Gallifrey and lived as abbot of a meditation centre on late 20th century Earth. (TV: Planet of the Spiders) According to some accounts, other titles used by this Time Lord included "the Hermit" (TV: The Time Monster, et al.) and Ansillon. (AUDIO: Blood of the Time Lords)

Biography
The Third Doctor met K'anpo as the abbot of a Buddhist meditation centre in England with his assistant Cho-Je. Unbeknownst to the Doctor and his companion at the time, Sarah Jane Smith, Cho-Je and K'anpo were one and the same. Cho-Je only existed either as a future projection of K'anpo Rimpoche or a creation of his mind, which K'anpo used as a proxy while he hid from the Eight Legs. This did not deter the Eight Legs for long.

When K'anpo was struck down by the Eight Legs possessing his own meditation students as human hosts, Cho-Je faded into nothingness and then re-appeared, taking K'anpo's place and title as K'anpo Rimpoche. He had regenerated.

After the Doctor's confrontation with the Great One in her cave, he began to die from the radiation there. Once the Doctor had returned in the TARDIS to UNIT HQ, Cho-Je teleported to him to give the Doctor "a little push", enabling his regeneration into a new incarnation. (TV: Planet of the Spiders)

Abilities
The K'anpo Rimpoche had several abilities not seen in other Time Lords. K'anpo was able to create a "mental projection" of his mind that was able to move and talk independently. When K'anpo was injured, he regenerated into this projection, Cho-Je. He was also capable of teleporting himself and others from one place to another.

K'anpo also "assist[ed]" in the Doctor's regeneration from the third incarnation to the fourth. By simply pointing both hands towards the pre-regeneration Doctor, he was able to speed the Third Doctor's regeneration considerably. (TV: Planet of the Spiders)

Behind the scenes

 * is a title given to Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders, in particular those who are believed to be reincarnated lamas. Some of these titles, such as the, are passed down through reincarnation, which Planet of the Spiders sought to parallel with regeneration.