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

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.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Buddhist monk takes a break from a ritual at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje attends rituals at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha

Jalue Dorje offers prayers during a ritual with other monks at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Buddhist monks attend a ritual at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje attends a ritual with other monks at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje laughs with his mother during a visit to Maratika Caves, in eastern Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje speaks on the phone during a visit to Maratika Caves, in eastern Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje fixes his monastic robes while he circumambulates the World Heritage site Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje, right, looks at a painting inside Maratika Caves, in the Khotang District of eastern Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje looks at a painting inside Maratika Caves, 135 miles east from Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje prays at Maratika Caves, 135 miles east from Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje visits the Maratika Caves that are sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, in eastern Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje, left; his mother, Dechen Wangmo, center, and his father, Dorje Tsegyal walk towards the Halesi-Maratika Caves, 135 miles east of Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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)

Jalue Dorje circumambulates the World Heritage site Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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)

Jalue Dorje circumambulates the World Heritage site Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Jalue Dorje attends rituals with other monks at Dzarong Thubten Mindrol Dongä Chöling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including three children.

Emergency workers finished digging through the building’s rubble after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.

The cruise missile hit the nine-story corner block amid what the Ukrainian air force said Russia’s biggest barrage of the country since its all-out invasion.

The assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded, Zelenskyy said.

Apartment interiors are seen in a damaged residential house following Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a house heavily damaged after a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)