On paper, Shabdrung Rinpoche seems like any other 18-year-old man: He studies, debates, loves music, plays basketball, uses micro blogs and learns English.

However, he will not be seen at nightclubs, and his aspirations don't feature the trappings of an individualistic lifestyle, such as supercars or great riches. His motivation in life is to deliver all living creatures from torment.

Shabdrung Rinpoche is a Living Buddha.

Shabdrung Rinpoche of Taklung Monastery names a newborn baby in August. Jue Guo / Xinhua

Born on June 28, 1997, in Lhari county in Nagqu prefecture of the Tibet autonomous region, Shabdrung Rinpoche is the son of a Tibetan doctor and a teacher. He was known as Sonam Dondrup until 2001.

He was identified as the reincarnation of the 22nd Shabdrung Living Buddha when he was 3 years old and lived under the guidance of khenpos, or senior monks, ever since. He remains in contact with his parents and still calls them two or three times a week.

His formative years were average, and he attended kindergarten and primary school. When he was around 12, he realized he was not like his peers.

Offering 'salvation'

"My responsibility is heavier than a mountain," he said. "Being a Living Buddha, I offer salvation to sentient beings."

Tibetan Buddhism has four main schools - Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geluk. Shabdrung Rinpoche belongs to Taklung Kagyu, a sub-school of Kagyu.

The Kagyu School introduced the reincarnation ritual in the 13th century. The Geluk School adopted it in the mid-16th century. Panchen and Dalai are lineage disciples of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk School.

Today reincarnation is the most widely accepted inheritance right among various schools in Tibet. There are currently 358 Living Buddhas in Tibet.

Taklung Kagyu followers are harsh disciplinarians. After graduating from primary school, Shabdrung Rinpoche began his full-time religious education under Khenpo Phuntsog Choying.

In 2011, Shabdrung Rinpoche enrolled in the newly opened Tibet College of Buddhism, Lhasa. He was the only Living Buddha in the Vajrayana class.

Traditionally, Tibetan monks undertake advanced study in three main monasteries - Sera, Ganden and Drepung, all located in Lhasa. Shabdrung Rinpoche continued his studies at Drepung Monastery.

His traditional seat is Taklung Monastery in Lhundrup county, about 87 miles northeast of Lhasa. Built in 1180, it is the ancestral temple of Taklung Kagyu and home to around 80 monks.

"I seldom go back since I am so busy with my studies," Shabdrung Rinpoche said.

There used to be three Living Buddhas in Taklung Monastery, but Shabdrung Rinpoche is the only one remaining after one moved overseas and the other died in 2006.

Renovation

The 835-year-old temple is undergoing renovation and expansion. Traditionally, a Living Buddha is in charge of temple affairs. Shabdrung Rinpoche is no exception, even though he was only 15 when the project broke ground.

It was initially planned that a summer palace would be built for the Living Buddha, but the project has since expanded to include a Buddhist academy, dorms for monks and a grand hall. The expansion is supported by the local government, which split the 8 million yuan ($1.25 million) bill with the monastery.

"I hope it will provide a place for monks to study Buddhism scriptures and learn about Tibet," he said. "It will also offer music, poetry and English lessons."

Most of Shabdrung Rinpoche's followers are from farm and pastoral areas in northern Tibet. When he returns to Taklung Monastery, as many as 20,000 people attend his dharma assembly, hoping that he will bless them by touching their heads or breathing on them.

When she heard the Living Buddha was back, Tsering Drolma, 67, was keen to receive a blessing from him. In her eyes, he can "predict everything". Supported by her granddaughter, she hobbled to meet Shabdrung Rinpoche and pray for peace and happiness.

Sonam Tsomo, her granddaughter, said that although they are the same age, she idolizes the Living Buddha. To her, he is someone she can "pour out her heart" to.

"I cannot imagine my life without the Living Buddha," she said.

Ngawang Sherab, a teenage monk in Taklung Monastery, said he feels nervous when he is in the presence of the Living Buddha because Shabdrung Rinpoche is so "sharp and dignified".

His admiration, however, calms his nerves. "Everyone holds him in the highest esteem," he said.

Shabdrung Rinpoche said: "I'm an ordinary person bearing light from Buddha. If I were asked to re-select my way of life, I would make the same choice because I know it would benefit all living creatures."

Living Buddhas must study much harder than most monks. Shabdrung Rinpoche must study Buddhist scripture, literature, English and history, and attend sutra debates, between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm six days a week. All Living Buddhas receive one-on-one instruction on literature, English and history.

"The living Buddha is intelligent," said Phuntsog Choying, Shabdrung Rinpoche's khenpo. "He has mastered many unique approaches of the Kagyu School and studied a large quantity of scripture."

Interest in poetry

Although he has a busy schedule, Shabdrung Rinpoche has free time to explore his other interests.

When he was younger he loved reading fairy tales by the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. He is now interested in poetry, especially works by Kahlil Gibran and Rabindranath Tagore.

Driven by his love of poems and essays, he writes his own.

"I enjoy writing about nature and people's feelings in both Tibetan and Mandarin," he said.

Every two weeks, there is a basketball match in Drepung Monastery. Shabdrung Rinpoche will always join whenever he is free. "I'm the only Living Buddha who plays."

Last year, he visited Shanghai and Zhejiang province as a member of the Tibet youth league. The towering buildings impressed him most.

When he was walking around Shanghai in his red robe, one passerby called him "a man in a skirt".

"It's true," he said, smiling without the slightest sign of annoyance. He said experiences like this strengthen his resolve to share the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, since he believes it to be the perfect education.

"Tibetan Buddhism can cure the anxiety of modern life," he said.

Shabdrung Rinpoche studies traditional Tibetan medicine as well.

He will continue studying for the next three to five years to obtain the geshe, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in Tibetan Buddhism. After that, he will study the Buddhist scriptures of his school, followed by five years, five months, and five days of meditation in a cave.

"Only by doing so, can I lead fellow monks to enlightenment," he said.

(China Daily USA 09/09/2015 page6)