Teenage Buddhist lama marks last birthday in US before joining monastery in Himalayas

ISANTI, Minn. — 

The young Buddhist lama sat connected a throne adjacent an altar decorated with flowers, fruits and aureate statues of the Buddha, watching the celebrations of his 18th day successful silence, with a faint smile.

Jalue Dorje knew it would beryllium the past large enactment earlier helium joins a monastery successful the Himalayan foothills -- thousands of kilometers from his location successful a Minneapolis suburb, wherever helium grew up similar a emblematic American teen playing shot and listening to rap music.

But this was not an mean coming-of-age celebration. It was an enthronement ceremonial for an aspiring spiritual person who from an aboriginal property was recognized by the Dalai Lama and different Tibetan Buddhist leaders arsenic a reincarnated lama.

From the stage, helium saw it all: The young women successful achromatic agelong bearded masks who danced, jumping acrobatically and twirling colorful sticks to privation him luck successful a contented reserved for dignitaries. The banging of drums. The procession of hundreds – from children to aged -- who lined up to bow to him and contiguous him with a "khata" -- the achromatic Tibetan ceremonial scarves that symbolize auspiciousness.

From a throne reserved for lamas, helium smelled the aroma of Tibetan dishes prepared by his parent implicit sleepless nights. He heard the monks with shaved heads, successful maroon and golden robes similar his own, chant ineffable mantras. Behind them, his shaggy-haired precocious schoolhouse shot teammates sang "Happy Birthday" earlier helium chopped the archetypal portion of cake.

One of his buddies gave him shaker bottles for hydrating during grooming astatine the gym; another, a acquisition paper to devour astatine Chipotle Mexican Grill.

"I was successful awe!" Dorje recalled later. "Usually, I'd beryllium astatine the monk conception looking up to whomever was celebrating. But that nighttime it was for me."

Watching Monday Night Football and memorizing past Buddhist prayers

Since the Dalai Lama's recognition, Dorje has spent overmuch of his beingness grooming to go a monk, memorizing ineffable scriptures, practicing calligraphy and learning the teachings of Buddha.

After graduation successful 2025, he'll caput to bluish India to articulation the Mindrolling Monastery, much than 11,500 kilometers from his location successful Columbia Heights.

Following respective years of contemplation and ascetism, helium hopes to instrumentality to America to thatch successful the Minnesota Buddhist community. His extremity is "to go a person of peace," pursuing the illustration of the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.

"There's going to beryllium a batch of sacrifice involved," Dorje said. But he's not caller to sacrifices.

He remembered each the aboriginal mornings reciting past prayers and memorizing Buddhist scriptures, often rewarded by his dada with Pokémon cards.

"As a child, adjacent connected the weekend, you're like: 'Why don't I get to slumber more? Why can't I get up and ticker cartoons similar different kids.' But my dada ever told maine that it's similar planting a seed," helium said, "and 1 time it's going to sprout."

It each began with the process of identifying a lama, which is based connected spiritual signs and visions. Dorje was astir 4 months aged erstwhile helium was identified by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, a venerated maestro of Tibetan Buddhism and person of the Nyingma lineage. He was aboriginal confirmed by respective lamas arsenic the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche — the archetypal 1 was calved successful 1655.

After the Dalai Lama recognized him astatine property 2, Dorje's parents took him to conscionable the spiritual person of Tibetan Buddhism erstwhile helium visited Wisconsin successful 2010.

The Dalai Lama chopped a fastener of Dorje's hairsbreadth successful a ceremonial and advised his parents to fto their lad enactment successful the U.S. to cleanable his English earlier sending him to a monastery.

Dorje is fluent successful English and Tibetan. He grew up speechmaking the manga graphic caller bid "Buddha," and is an avid sports fan. He roots for the Timberwolves successful basketball, Real Madrid successful soccer, and the Atlanta Falcons successful football. He adjacent keeps a rookie paper of wide receiver Drake London pasted to the backmost of his phone, which helium carried wrapped successful his robes during his party.

On the shot field, playing arsenic a near guard, his teammates praised his positivity, often reminding them to person amusive and support losses successful perspective.

"It's idiosyncratic to look up to," said Griffin Hogg, 20, a erstwhile subordinate who took Dorje nether his wing. He said they learned from each different and credits Dorje with helping him find his spirituality. "I'm much of a relaxed idiosyncratic aft getting to cognize him and knowing his ain journey."

While Dorje tries to ne'er miss Monday Night Football, he's ever determination to assistance with immoderate lawsuit hosted by the section Tibetan community, 1 of the largest successful the United States.

"He has 1 ft successful the mean precocious schoolhouse life. And helium has 1 ft successful this astonishing Tibetan civilization that we person successful the authorities of Minnesota," said Kate Thomas, 1 of his tutors and the teachings coordinator astatine Minneapolis' Bodhicitta Sangha Heart of Enlightenment Institute.

"You tin spot that he's comfy playing a relation of sitting connected a throne, of participating and being honored arsenic a respected idiosyncratic successful his community, arsenic a spiritual figure. And yet, arsenic soon arsenic helium has the opportunity, helium wants to spell and bent retired with his precocious schoolhouse buddies," she said. "That's grounds to his flexibility, his openness of mind."

Listening to rap and making Tibetans proud

For years, helium has followed the aforesaid routine. He wakes up to recite ineffable texts and past attends school, followed by shot practice. He returns location for tutoring astir Tibetan past and Buddhism. Then helium mightiness signifier calligraphy oregon tally connected a treadmill portion listening to BossMan Dlow, Rod Wave and different rappers.

Although helium was officially enthroned successful 2019 successful India, an estimated 1,000 radical gathered astatine the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota for his caller ceremony.

"He unites america – Jalue is ever present for us," said Zenden Ugen, 21, a household person and neighbour who performed Tibetan dances astatine the event.

"I privation him the champion successful beingness due to the fact that being calved and not being capable to take your beingness indispensable beryllium precise hard," Ugen said. "But helium has a work and him being capable to instrumentality connected that responsibility, I'm precise inspired by him. I conscionable anticipation helium keeps being who helium is."

Dorje's arrogant uncle, Tashi Lama, saw him turn up and go a Buddhist master.

"He's idiosyncratic who's going to beryllium a leader, who's going to thatch compassion and bid and emotion and harmony among surviving beings," helium said astir his nephew, often referred to arsenic "Rinpoche" -- a Tibetan connection that means "precious one."