The Elián González of the Himalayas

But as the hordes kept coming, the festive air took on a frantic edge. Indian security officials assigned to guard the Karmapa barked orders. People were told to shed their jackets, bags, watches, shoes and socks. They were given numbers and ordered to line up, Tibetans in one place, foreigners in another. Then those lines were split into men and women and everyone was patted down before being allowed to enter.

By early afternoon, the doors opened. One by one people filed into a large white room, where they sat in rows on the cold tile floor behind an orange rope. Thangkas, brightly colored Tibetan paintings, hung from beams in the cavernous hall. A huge Buddha, one-story tall, painted gold and wearing orange robes, sat on an altar, staring at the audience. There was a picture of the Dalai Lama, a table piled high with offering food -- plates of Tibetan biscuits, cellophane-wrapped Nestlé Crunch bars, peanuts, seeds.

After 30 minutes, all eyes stared down the hall as an orange door opened and a tall young man in monk's robes was ushered in. Looking older than his 14 years, with a handsome broad face and shaved head, the Karmapa walked to a chair in the center of the altar as security officials stood watchfully, a ragtag secret service detail.

Trinley Dorje began to speak in a soft voice in Tibetan. But the acoustics of the room made his words hard to hear. Even when another monk began to translate into English, only sporadic words came through -- compassion ... sentient beings. Trinley Dorje thanked people for the gracious welcome he had received in India. Fifteen minutes and it was over.

The Karmapa left via the same orange door through which he had appeared. People flung white prayer scarves called katas toward the altar. A rush to the exit to get blessing cords nearly turned into a stampede.

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Trinley Dorje's life has already proved so unlikely and dramatic that it far surpasses anything a Hollywood screenwriter could make up. Born to a nomadic Tibetan family in 1985, Ugyen Trinley Dorje was discovered in Lhatok, Tibet, 11 years after the death of the 16th Karmapa. In 1990 a high-ranking rinpoche, or senior monk, discovered a letter inside an amulet that the master had given him before his death, indicating who his reincarnation would be.

Using the information in the letter, a search party of monks from Tsurphu, the traditional seat of the Karmapa, set out to find him. They wound up at the tent where Trinley Dorje lived with his parents and eight brothers and sisters. In June 1992 the Dalai Lama recognized Trinley Dorje as the new Karmapa. A short time later, the Chinese also recognized him. The child was installed in the monastery in Tsurphu.

He lived there until a cold wintry night in December when he climbed out of his bedroom window, telling aides he needed to leave before the Tibetan new year. Eluding Chinese security officers, the teenager, his sister and five others set out on a torturous 875-mile journey. They took the same route the Dalai Lama took when he escaped in 1959. The Karmapa also traveled on horseback, then walked for 12 hours before entering Nepal and eventually flying to India. The Dalai Lama, who was reportedly surprised by the Karmapa's flight, welcomed him to freedom.

A monk who fled with the Buddhist leader says Trinley Dorje left a letter at the Tsurphu Monastery saying he felt he had to go because his repeated requests to be allowed to meet with students and teachers had been ignored. The Chinese have a different story. They agree that he left a letter. But according to Chinese officials, it said he was going abroad to get certain belongings of the 16th Karmapa, and that he did not mean to betray China. They say the letter included assurances that he would return.

Missing from this story is the Karmapa's version of events. Since arriving in India on Jan. 5, he has been kept in virtual seclusion and heavily guarded. Earlier this month, however, he appeared at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's enthronement at age 4. The Karmapa spoke to the public about his concern for the survival of Tibetan culture. "I pray for a better future for Tibet," he said.

Ngodup Burkhar, an interpreter for the Karmapa, has spent several hours a day with him in recent weeks. According to Burkhar, Trinley Dorje is in many ways much like other teenagers. He likes to tease and has a good sense of humor. But Burkhar also notes a sense of disappointment in the Karmapa. "He came here to be free. And he is not free."

What will happen to Trinley Dorje is still unclear. Most likely he will not be formally granted asylum but will be given refugee status like any other Tibetan, including the Dalai Lama. About 2,000 Tibetans come to India each year and are given Tibetan refugee certificates. They are not allowed to vote in Indian elections, but they can study. The Karmapa's teachers would like him to move to Sherabling Monastery, a three-hour drive from Dharmsala, to continue his religious education.

Whatever the final outcome of the Karmapa affair, China will probably be able to tolerate it if the government feels India has not challenged its claim to be the only true Asian global power. India also has something to gain. If it can work out a compromise that allows the Karmapa to remain in the country without confronting China head on, India could boost its image as a country that embraces tolerance and respect for human rights.

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