Photos of US-born teen Buddhist lama now studying near the Himalayas to become a monk

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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.

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.

At the end of the 12 days of rituals and prayers, he 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 its 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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