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From Video Games to Monk: A Lama's Journey
16 May
Summary
- Recognized as a reincarnated lama by the Dalai Lama at age two.
- Relocated to Indian Himalayas after finishing high school in 2025.
- Maintains subtle American identity with Crocs and Simpsons charms.
Jalue Dorje, once a teenager engrossed in video games and American sports, now lives as a monk in the Indian Himalayas. Recognized at two years old by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnated lama, the 19-year-old embraced his spiritual path. After completing high school in 2025, he moved to northern India to join the Mindrolling Monasteries.
Dorje recently traveled to Nepal to reunite with his parents, who flew from Minneapolis. There, he participated in sacred rituals and made his first mandala offering, realizing the profoundness of his predestined journey. Despite embracing monastic robes, he subtly integrates his American identity, notably with Simpsons-themed Crocs worn beneath his robes.
His journey began when spiritual leaders identified him as the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche. Following the Dalai Lama's advice, his parents raised him in the U.S. to perfect his English before he embarked on his monastic training. He is now fluent in both English and Tibetan, officially enthroned as a lama in 2019.
