Since the Dalai Lama’s recognition, Jalue Dorje has spent much of his life training to become a monk, memorizing sacred scriptures, practicing calligraphy and learning the teachings of Buddha.

A U.S.-born Buddhist lama, who grew up a typical American teen in a Minneapolis suburb, celebrated his 18th birthday and enthronement ceremony.

The youthful Buddhist lama sat on a throne near an altar decorated with flowers, fruits and golden statues of the Buddha, watching the celebrations of his 18th birthday in silence, with a faint smile.

The young Buddhist lama sat on a throne near an altar decorated with flowers, fruits and golden statues of the Buddha, watching the celebrations of his 18th birthday in silence, with a faint smile. Jalue Dorje knew it would be the last big party before he joins a monastery in the Himalayan foothills -- thousands of miles from his home in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights,

It's the last big party for Jalue Dorje before he joins a monastery in the Himalayan foothills — thousands of kilometers from his home in suburban Minneapolis