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

When Jalue Dorje was 2 years old, the Dalai Lama recognized him as the lama’s reincarnation. He just celebrated his 18th birthday and in a few months he will move to the Mindrolling Monastery in northern India after graduating from high school.

Jalue Dorje grew up like a typical American teen playing football and listening to rap music in a Minneapolis suburb. After graduation, he’ll head to northern India, more than 7,200 miles from home.

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.