Who is Teddy from Nine Stories and what is their importance?

Teddy is the reincarnated soul of an Indian holy man in the body of a young boy. He has been reincarnated as an American child. Teddy meditates regularly, and he claims to be able to enter infinite dimensions, which allows him to see into the future. He also seems capable of predicting his own death, which occurs suddenly at the end of the story.