Garthar Chöde, 2004

In the morning we were told the local tulku Jume Nandzya was waiting for us. He was sixty-four; he had been found at six, tested until thirteen, and had lived in the monastery ever since. He answered my questions and said that I myself do not know who I am, where I come from, what my past lives were or my purpose in this one, and that is why so much in this life will seem inexplicable to me. The people I meet are arranged so that I cannot fail to meet them, and so that, meeting them for the first time, I would not be lost and would behave as if we had always known each other. He gave each of us a sweet and put a white khata around our necks.