Overview:

Following several years of contemplation and asceticism, Dorje hopes to return to the United States to teach in Minnesota’s Buddhist community.

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KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Jalue Dorje grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, loving rap music, video games, and football. But he’s also spent much of his life training to become a monk, memorizing sacred scriptures, practicing calligraphy, and learning the teachings of Buddha.

That’s because he was recognized as a reincarnated lama from an early age by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders.

Two Buddhist lamas
Jalue Dorje greets his friend and fellow monk, Trulshik Yangsi Rinpoche, during a ritual at Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) (This image is not available for republication)

He graduated from high school last year and moved to northern India to join a monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas, thousands of miles from his home.

After the equivalent of the first semester of college, he flew to Nepal to meet his parents and attended sacred rituals and teachings at monasteries in the Kathmandu Valley.

A group of Buddhist lamas
Jalue Dorje adjusts his ceremonial hat before starting a ritual at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) (This image is not available for republication)

At the end of the 12 days of rituals and prayers, Dorje also joined his parents in a pilgrimage to the ancient Maratika or Halesi Mahadev Caves in eastern Nepal.

The caves are sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, and pilgrims often cover their walls with colorful powders along with other offerings of fruits and flowers.

Following several years of contemplation and asceticism, Dorje hopes to return to the United States to teach in Minnesota’s Buddhist community. His goal is to become a leader of peace, and he hopes to follow the example of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama.

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