Jalue Dorjee and his father, Dorjee Tsegyal. The future lama has been an active participant in journalism in Columbia Heights and sports in St. Anthony. When he graduates this spring, he will go to India to continue his religious studies. (Al Zdon)
He’s just like every other kid. Except he isn’t.
He played right guard on the high school football team and now he’s a manager on the basketball team.
But for an hour every morning and then before bed, he studies and prays in the Tibetan Buddhist faith.
He’s Jalue Dorjee, a rather tall senior at St. Anthony High School. But he’s also the 8th Terchen Taksham Rinpoche, a reincarnated lama, perhaps the only one born in the United States.
And he has one other name, Tenzin Gyurme Trinley Dorjee, which was given to him by the Dalai Lama himself. Tenzin means the “holder of the Buddha Dharma (truth),” and it is also the Dalai Lama’s first name.
“I was the first one born here (in the United States), and I plan to stay here,” Dorjee said, sitting at his kitchen table in his home in Columbia Heights, which also doubles as a Buddhist temple.
The challenge of being a lama and kicking around with his high school friends hasn’t always been easy. “It’s important how I manage my time. I’ve gotten better at it. I need to have time for my education and also to do things I want.”
After high school he will be on his way to Mindrolling Monastery in India to further his Buddhist education. “I’m looking forward to it.”
After that, the future is unclear, but includes trips back and forth from India to America. He plans on going to college in the United States.
What’s it like being a high schooler and having your lama story on every Twin Cities television news show and a three-page story in the state’s largest newspaper? “It’s cool. People bring newspapers to me and show me my story, or they point it out on social media.
“In middle school I was a little embarrassed, but now I’m embracing who I am. When I was a kid, I’d want a few more minutes to watch cartoons or whatever, but my dad kept me motivated. And so did my mom. They said it would all be worth it in the future.”
Would he ever like to go to Tibet, a nation now under the control of the Chinese communist government? “Sure. It’s a historical site. It’s where the roots of what I am exist.”
His dad, Dorjee Tsegyal, interrupted the interview at this point. “He’s not a Tibetan. He’s an American.”
There are about 27,000 Tibetans living in the United States and about 6,000 of them live in Minnesota. Northeast Minneapolis and Columbia Heights have major enclaves.
His favorite class at St. Anthony is speech, but he likes others such as world literature and AP government. He transferred from Columbia Heights High School for his senior year, and he misses his journalism experience as a Hylander. He wrote a story on Tibet that won both national and state high school journalism awards. “That was definitely cool.”
“I’m pretty good in every class, I’m good all around.”
He’s dedicated to his calling. “It’s definitely my responsibility to teach. Buddhism teaches us that everything happens for a reason. Tibetan Buddhism is based on fate, merit and karma. If you do good, you get good.”
There are many lamas in the world, but only a few who can trace their reincarnated lineage back to a specific person. The first lama in his line was Taksham Nuden Dorjee who revealed many Buddhist teachings in the 17th Century. He was a teacher to the Dalai Lama of his time.
The 7th Taksham Rinpoche, who established a monastery in India, died in 2005. On Dec. 20, 2006, a boy was born in Columbia Heights. His parents had seen many wondrous omens before the birth.
A few months later, a Buddhist holy man was teaching in Minnesota and visited the Columbia Heights home and recognized the baby as the 8th Terchen Taksham Rinpoche.Other holy men, including the Dalai Lama, also recognized the reincarnated lama and conveyed blessings.
In 2010 in Madison, Wis., the Dalai Lama received the young lad and performed the ritual hair-cutting ceremony, a recognition of his status as a reincarnated lama. The leader of the Tibetan Buddhist faith is a hero to Dorjee. “He brings nothing but love and peace. He’s very important to the world.”
In 2019, at age 12, Dorjee traveled to India for his enthronement, a colorful and musical ceremony that officially marked his heritage.
His future will include teaching at the Nyuingmapa Taksham Buddhist Center, which is now the family home. “Right now we are looking for another building,” Dorjee said. “We’d like to establish a Buddhist temple where people can come and meditate.”
But first, he has to complete his last year of high school. “I have been growing into my life as a lama,” he said. “It’s important. It’s good. I’ve matured.”
