ISANTI, Minn. (AP) — The young Buddhist lama — seated on a throne near an altar decorated with flowers, fruit and golden Buddha statues — watched, silently and with a slight smile, the celebrations of his 18th birthday.
Jalue Dorje knew it would be the last big party before he enters a monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas, thousands of miles from his suburban Minneapolis home, where he grew up as the classic football-playing, rap-music-listening American teenager. .
But this wasn’t a typical coming-of-age celebration. It was a ceremony of consecration of an aspiring spiritual leader, who from an early age the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders noted was a reincarnated lama.
From the stage, he watched it all: young women in white masks with long beards dancing, jumping acrobatically and twirling colored sticks to wish him luck in a tradition reserved for dignitaries. The sound of the drums. The procession of hundreds of people – from children to the elderly – who lined up to bow before him and present him with a “khata”, a white Tibetan ceremonial scarf that symbolizes a good omen.
From a throne reserved for lamas, he smelled the aroma of Tibetan dishes prepared by his mother for several days and sleepless nights. He heard shaven-headed monks, in robes in maroon and gold colors like his own, chanting sacred mantras. Behind them, his high school football teammates, their hair half disheveled, sang “Happy Birthday” to him before he cut the first slice of cake.
One of his friends gave him bottles to hydrate during training at the gym; another, a gift card to eat at the Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant.
“I was amazed!” Dorje later recalled. “Normally, I would be in the monks’ section looking at whoever was celebrating. But that night was for me.”
Watch the Monday football game and memorize ancient Buddhist prayers
Since being recognized by the Dalai Lama, Dorje has spent much of his life training to become a monk, memorizing sacred scriptures, practicing calligraphy, and learning the teachings of Buddha.
After he graduates in 2025, he will head to northern India to join the Mindrolling Monastery (Site of Perfect Emancipation), more than 11,500 kilometers (7,200 miles) from his home in Columbia Heights.
After several years of contemplation and asceticism, he hopes to return to the United States to teach in the Buddhist community of Minnesota. His goal is to “become a leader of peace,” following the example of the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.
“There will be a lot of sacrifice involved,” Dorje said. But sacrifices are not something new for him.
He remembered all the mornings he would recite ancestral prayers and memorize Buddhist scriptures, and how his father would often reward him with Pokémon cards.
“As a kid, even on the weekends, you think, ‘Why can’t I sleep more? Why can’t I get up and watch cartoons like other kids?’ But my dad always told me that it was like planting a seed,” he said, “and one day it will sprout.”
It all began with the process of identifying a lama, which is based on spiritual signs and visions. Dorje was about 4 months old when he was identified by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, a revered teacher of Tibetan Buddhism and leader of the Nyingma lineage. Several lamas later confirmed that he was the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche, the first of whom was born in 1655.
After being recognized by the Dalai Lama at age 2, Dorje’s parents took him to meet the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism when he visited Wisconsin in 2010.
The Dalai Lama cut a lock of Dorje’s hair in a ceremony and advised his parents to allow their son to remain in the United States to perfect his English before sending him to a monastery.
Dorje speaks fluent English and Tibetan. He grew up reading the “Buddha” manga graphic novel series and is an avid sports fan. He is a fan of the Timberwolves in basketball, Real Madrid in soccer and the Atlanta Falcons in American soccer. He even has a rookie card of wide receiver Drake Londo taped to the back of his cell phone, which he carried wrapped in his robe during his party.
On the football field, where he plays left guard, his teammates praised his positivity, and that he often reminds them to have fun and not let losses discourage them.
“He’s someone to look up to,” said Griffin Hogg, 20, a former player who became Dorje’s mentor. He said they learned from each other, and credits Dorje with helping him find his spirituality. “I’m a more relaxed person after meeting him and understanding his own journey,” she said.
While Dorje tries to never miss Monday night NFL games, he is always there to help with any events hosted by the local Tibetan community, one of the largest in the United States.
“He has one foot in normal high school life and the other in this incredible Tibetan culture that we have in the state of Minnesota,” said Kate Thomas, one of his tutors and learning coordinator at the Bodhicitta Sangha Institute (Institute of the Heart of Awakening Community), in Minneapolis.
“You can see that he is comfortable playing the role of sitting on a throne, participating and being honored as a respected person in his community, as a religious figure. And yet, whenever he gets the chance, he wants to go out and hang out with his high school friends,” he added. “That’s a testament to his flexibility, his open-mindedness.”
Listen to rap and make Tibetans proud
For years he has followed the same routine: he wakes up to recite sacred texts and then attends school, followed by football practices. Return home for private lessons on Tibetan history and Buddhism. Later you might practice calligraphy or run on a treadmill while listening to BossMan Dlow, Rod Wave and other rappers.
Although he was officially enthroned in 2019 in India, an estimated 1,000 people gathered at the American Tibetan Foundation of Minnesota for this recent ceremony.
“He brings us together: Jalue is always here for us,” said Zenden Ugen, 21, a family friend and neighbor who performed Tibetan dances at the event.
“I wish him the best in life because being born and not being able to choose your life must be very difficult,” Ugen said. “But he has a responsibility and his ability to take on that responsibility… he inspires me a lot. “I just hope he stays who he is.”
Tashi Lama, Dorje’s proud uncle, watched him grow up to be a Buddhist teacher.
“He is someone who is going to be a leader, who is going to teach compassion, peace, love and harmony among living beings,” he said of his nephew, who is often called “Rinpoche,” a Tibetan word meaning “the which has great value.”
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Associated Press video journalist Jessie Wardarski contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press’ religion coverage is supported through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
