A boy caught in a godly dispute

A. Altannar practising a sand mandala ritual with monks at the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

THE boy had seemed destined for a life of affluence and earthly pursuits. Born into the family behind a major mining conglomerate in Mongolia, he might have been picked to someday lead the company from its steel-and-glass headquarters in the country’s capital.

Instead, the eight-year-old is now at the heart of a struggle between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Communist Party.