7 

____________

The Second Search

  
H.E. the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul
at 6 years of age

On August 3rd, the party set out again. Arriving in Lhasa that afternoon, Tenzin Dorjee and Sonam Chopel visited the Tsering Che Nga Gon Khang, the Tseringma shrine in the Jokhang Temple, to make offerings and to pray. They felt inspired to do so because it was at that same shrine that a very auspicious sign had occurred when the Third Jamgon Rinpoche first visited, as a very young child.

The next morning, August 4th, they returned to Chushur once again. Arriving at the walnut tree at about 11:15 a.m., they separated into two groups - Tenzin Dorjee and Lama Nyima in one, and Sonam Chopel and Didi in the other. This time, they were going to make a detailed search, visiting every child that was born in the last Pig year, taking photographs and noting the details.

Tenzin Dorjee and Lama Nyima visited several families and found a few children born in the last Pig year, but nothing else about them matched the other signs described by the Karmapa. Shortly thereafter, they met a young boy from the area named Thinlay, who agreed to help them. Through him, they met five more Pig-year babies but, again, none of the other signs matched. Young Thinlay then suggested that they could take the car and visit some of the communities nearby the road. Soon after, as their car was approaching a village, Tenzin Dorjee and Lama Nyima noticed that, suddenly, the black mountain appeared very near, and seemed to be coming in front of them. Tenzin Dorjee said that he became filled with hope.