Lobsang Phuntsok, Founder of the children village Jhamtse Gatsal

Lobsang Phuntsok, as a young boy, was an “uninvited guest to this universe”. Born to an unwed mother, he acted out often as a child and was sent to a monastery, where he still misbehaved but slowly began to change. After studying with the Dalai Lama and teaching about Buddhism in the United States, he moved back to the Indian Himalayas to help children who struggle as he once did. Today, the former monk runs a residential community for 85 children called Jhamtse Gatsal — a Tibetan term that means “love and compassion”. Andrew Hinton’s 2016 Emmy-winning short documentary, Tashi & the Monk, stunningly shares the story of him and his 85 children.