It is spring time. The sun becomes warmer. Air becomes sweeter. Colors of plants are softer. The chirps of birds and other little animals seem to be livelier. One RYI student bear who were stuck in her tree cave for a whole winter also tries to stretch a bit in the fragrant spring breeze..

Sometimes, admit it or not, the studies and other life situations might make one feel a bit isolated. Currently this student bear is working on an individual translation program. The text is very fascinating. It talks about different philosophical traditions and their practical approaches to the ultimate. For example, one Vedic tradition believes that by stopping the breath, one stops the mind, or in another words, one stops thinking. Then one will be able to abide in the state of ultimate. The author of this text disagrees. He believes that the ultimate, “ཡེ་ཤེས”, goes beyond thinking and non-thinking. So just by stop the “winds” or stop the thinking will not be enough.

Getting fascinated, this RYI student bear also starts to wonder: What does the so called “ultimate” really mean? How does it feel like? Can it really heal everyone, for example, to save people out of the illusion of isolation? It is said that based on this illusion, so many unlucky things are happening: Hierarchy, racism, politics, war, borderlines, religion barriers, gender issues, good, bad, desire, hatred, you, me…

Too many illusory thoughts, too much dream thinking.

Sometimes this bear reminds herself: Hey, your body, our bodies, are all literally made by star dust. Our whole physical components are part of the nature. Just like

everyone else, our whole being is part of the Tendrel symphony. Why hurt each other? Why can’t we be simple and good? Why make knots in the sky?

Spring is here. A good time for the bear to enjoy some sunshine, touch the soft texture of a new born leaf, listen to the rain drops, walk through a mountain and look up to the sky. The bear makes a wish that: May that simple, genuine, universal and powerful— whatever you might want to call that, ultimate, truth, ཡེ་ཤེས, soon be found, so that one day, we will be truly healed, and be able to heal everyone.