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INDIA. Karnataka province. Bylakuppe. Sera Jey Tibetan monastery. TENZIN OSEL RINPOCHE is an 11 year old Spanish boy. He is currently studying at Seraje monastery and lives with his father and brother. For the moment he studies with private tutors, but in a few years he will start debating with the other monks. Practising his tibetan writing. Electricity cuts are frequents so they use candles for lighting.

Two or three years after their death, important lamas are reincarnated in the body of a child. The search for this child is based on the information left by the lama himself: dreams, visions and the intuition of other lamas. The Tulkus are discovered at 3 or 4 years of age, declared at about 4 or 5 and then enter the monastery at the age of 6. According to the rules of the monastery, each Tulku is instructed by a tutor and is either prevented or restricted from seeing other young monks from its age group. All the Tulkus are called Rinpoche which means "the precious one". 
Image Reference 
FRM1996037W00004/05A 
(PAR102949) 
© Martine Franck/Magnum Photos 
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