A story about a Tibetan yogi

Every day he receives requests to say prayers for the sick, the dying or the dead and specialises in curing mental afflictions caused by evil spirits. Sometimes a high lama or Rinpoche requests him to do a Mo - a special form of prediction popular among Tibetans. He treats all who visit him - an important Rinpoche or poor townsperson or wealthy westerner -  with the same cheeky warmth or gruff indifference, depending on his mood for the day. Most of the offerings he receives are dissipated to his old Tibetan cronies who he enthusiastically gambles with, and loses to, on a frequent basis. He is the town's greatest flirt and his passionate appreciation for the fairer sex hasn't diminished with age. ​

Lama Godi is an eccentric old yogi who lives in Bir - a small Tibetan refugee settlement town in the Himalayas. He is famous for giving accurate predictions of the future, for leading ceremonies for the dead and for his extraordinary prowess with Tibetan yogas. He is often found sitting peacefully in the village bazaar, watching the town hustle by while reciting endless rounds of prayers and mantras on his mala beads. Lama Godi has no title and no possessions. He lives in a tiny room in a monastery, filled with a motley array of rubbish and ceremonial accoutrements, with a door that doesn't lock. He wears filthy robes that are in rags, with any offerings of new clothes piled up in a corner unopened.  

Lama Godi escaped from Tibet when the Chinese invaded in the early 60s and travelled over the Himalayas to northern India with a group of Tibetans, including his main teacher, Neten Choling Rinpoche. They settled in Bir largely because of a vision Lama Godi had about the place being an especially powerful spot for tantric practitioners, due to it being an ancient charnel ground. Since that time Lama Godi has been a colourful force in the community, standing out due to his disregard for social conventions and his disdain for material comfort, fame and possessions. Although he refuses to have disciples and keeps his spiritual achievements under wraps, the profound sparkle in his eye, his kindness and warmth with anyone who approaches him and the mischievous carefreeness with which he leads his life,  have won him many fans all over the world.