In the remote regions of the Himalyas, Lobsang Phuntsok was born in a nomadic family to a young, unmarried mother. She gave birth in secret in the family toilet and left the newborn covered in dried leaves. He was saved by his grandparents, who heard his cries and found him nearly dead. Called "the uninvited guest of this universe" throughout his childhood, Lobsang was a turbulent force -- breaking windows, tearing prayer flags, and disregarding rules. His grandparents sent him to live in a Buddhist monastery at the age of seven, in the hopes the environment could support him. Lobsang eventually became one of ten monks selected by the Dalai Lama to teach in the West. In time, his heart pulled him back to India in service to fellow "unwanted" children in the remote mountains where he was born. In 2006, Lobsang began a children's community and home called Jhamtse Gatsal, which translates to "the Garden of Love and Compassion." "Our job is to accept the children nobody else can take care of and nobody else wants, and help this child transform into the most amazing human being," he explains. No medication, no psychiatrists -- just love, responsibility, and the radical faith that every difficult child carries the seed of something luminous.
