Into the Mountains

In chapter 7, at age eighteen, Rangjung Dorje takes full ordination and begins to travel. His first destinations are the Karmapas’ other two seats: the Karma and Kampo Nénang Monasteries. He spends time living in the forests around Karma Monastery; he is eventually welcomed there after helping to quell a forest fire that threatened retreatants and the monastery alike. His journey to Kampo Nénang is less successful, and he does not stay. Instead, he journeys to the sacred mountains of Khawa Karpo and Tsari and contributes to their reputation as sacred sites. Between these excursions, back in central Tibet, he composes his most famous works, including the Profound Inner Meaning and the Birth Stories of the Teacher.