Every word that leaves the lips of the Venerable Lama Tenzin Dhonden lands on you with a sense of purpose.
The monk wears traditional Tibetan yellow and crimson robes. He carries an iPhone that beeps with an email at least once every five minutes.
Dhonden serves as the Dalai Lama’s personal emissary of peace, sharing his teachings with groups across the globe. He has has been instrumental in bringing the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday celebrations and Global Compassion Summit to Orange County in July.
“It was meant to be,” he says when asked why Orange County, out of all the places in the world where the Nobel laureate could have celebrated his birthday. “It was destiny.”