-Qing Shi, BA student from China

For me, coming to study at Rangjung Yeshe Institute was not simply the beginning of an academic program. It was also a turning point: a chance to move from being carried away by confusion to slowly learning how to look at my own mind.

I came to RYI with the wish to study the Dharma, learn Tibetan, and be closer to teachers and the sangha. However, I did not arrive as someone with a very clear direction or a completely stable mind. In an ordinary sense, I was unsure about my path in life. In a deeper sense, I felt like a wandering sentient being, full of habits, questions, hopes, and confusion. I cannot say that I came here because I already understood what practice truly means. Rather, I was inspired by the kindness of the sangha and by the sincerity of Dharma friends and fellow practitioners. Seeing their devotion and effort gave me a strong feeling of rejoicing, and this became one of the reasons I chose to join this community.

At that time, I could not say with confidence what kind of knowledge I wanted to gain at RYI. I also could not clearly answer what the real meaning of Dharma practice was. I only knew that I wanted to be closer to the Dharma and to the conditions that might help me understand it.

After arriving in Kathmandu, life gradually unfolded. Through studying at RYI, learning Tibetan, attending teachings, and living near sacred places in Nepal, I began to encounter the Dharma not only as something to be studied, but also as something to be brought back to my own mind. Classes, texts, teachers, friends, and daily life all became mirrors in different ways. They did not immediately remove my confusion, but they helped me begin to recognize it more clearly.

Do I now have a complete answer to my earlier questions? Honestly, no. I am still confused in many ways. I am still very much a beginner. But perhaps something has changed. Before, I was often simply lost inside confusion. Now, at least sometimes, I can notice the movement of confusion as it arises. I can see a little more clearly how my mind reacts, grasps, worries, judges, and searches. This does not mean that I have become calm or wise. It only means that confusion itself has slowly become part of the path.

For this, I feel deeply grateful. In this supportive place, with teachers, Dharma, community, and the right conditions, I have begun to learn something very precious which is not only to study the Dharma, but to turn inward and look at my own mind.

For that, I feel very grateful. My time here has been full, meaningful, and not wasted.