The morning of 17 March unfolded like a big celebration in Kathmandu campus. The air carried a soft spring warmth. A gentle breeze moved through the campus as if it, too, were curious about what the day would bring.
It was the end-of-year Learning Exhibition at Tergar Schools Kathmandu — not just a display of work, but a culmination of months of exploration, questions, small breakthroughs, and growing confidence. The presence of revered gurus — Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Mayum Sonam Chödrön, Khenpo Tenba Rabgye, and Geshey Jamyang Lophel — made it feel deeply meaningful, almost like sharing a personal story with someone who helped you learn how to speak in the first place.
The exhibition began in stillness. A prayer. A moment of meditation. Then music — soft and grounding. The gentle chanting of Om Mani Padme Hum, a group song, and a beautiful blend of flute, ukulele, and guitar filled the space, soon bringing everyone singing together in “We Shall Overcome.”
Next, Class 6 presented a role play. They introduced Basic Goodness as a big bright sun — always present, always whole. Around it drifted clouds of emotions: anger, jealousy, pride, ignorance, fear. These are not enemies but passing visitors. Yet when they gather, they obscure the light, and we forget the Basic Goodness that has always been there.
And then, a simple reminder.
Pause. Breathe. Recognize.
With each mindful breath,
There was a quiet power in the way they told this story. It didn’t feel rehearsed or repeated; it felt understood.
And just like that, the exhibition came alive!
The exhibition officially opened with the Rinpoches trying their hands at the pottery wheel. Set up by Artbeat Nepal, it was pure joy to witness. Seeing their faces light up while working with clay — experiencing that messy creativity for the first time — set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.
From there, the campus turned into a landscape of ideas.
Students stood beside their work — not just presenting but inviting conversation. Science projects hummed with curiosity. Handmade crafts carried patience in their details. Cultural displays told stories of identity and belonging. There were interactive games, small robots in motion, model motor cars, animations flickering to life, explorations of food, environment, and community.
Every space held a new story to experience and learn from.
Moving gently through it all were the Rinpoches pausing, asking questions, listening. Not as distant observers, but as participants in the students’ thinking. You could see curiosity spark and expand in real time — a question leading to another thought, a hesitation turning into confidence.
In a side of the building, a tree stood quietly, its branches holding photographs of Class 3 students. Beneath it, a message — simple, heartfelt, awakening love. And in the art room, rows of student-made pottery pieces rested, each one slightly imperfect, completely unique.
As the day wound down, the Rinpoches shared some reflections that really captured the heart of why we do this, Tsoknyi Rinpoche said:
“I am very happy to be part of this exhibition. What I see is the nature of children — the wildness plus creativity coming together. The wildness is nurtured by the system but not completely gone. And one day, this wildness of nature turns into the blossoming of their Basic Goodness. Together with education, I think they can become a good human being.”
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche echoed with another essential truth:
“It is very important for students to share experientially like this. Students build confidence and learn more by sharing.”
And that, perhaps, was the quiet heartbeat of the entire day.
Not perfection. Not performance.
But the courage to stand beside your own learning and say, “this is what I explored, this is what I discovered, this is what I am still figuring out.”
As the exhibition came to an end, the campus held onto a certain warmth — not just from the weather, but from something more lasting. A sense that learning here is not just about knowledge, but about becoming. About remembering the sun behind the clouds. About creating space for curiosity, expression, and the steady unfolding of who these students are.
And on this bright spring day, in the presence of their teachers and gurus, that unfolding felt beautifully revealed.
