Hometown:
Wuxi, China

Education: 
BS in Mathematics. California Institute of Technology. MS and PhD in Mathematics, Rice University.

What was I doing before DRBU?
Finishing a PhD program in math at Rice University

Influential class I’ve taken:
Comparative Hermeneutics

Influential book I’ve read:
So far Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is pretty influential for me.

Concept that blew my mind:
Kant’s idea of space, time, and causality being constructed by the mind (a priori).

Challenge(s) I faced:
Having to revisit practices and ideas that I have put aside.

How has DRBU changed me? 
It has opened me up to different kinds of spiritual paths. 

Title of a recent paper:
An enquiry concerning Impermanence: a discussion on causality and teleology

What is it about? 
It’s about why things happen.

What is it really about?
It’s conjecturing a fundamental attribute of law of causation: that it is teleological, that everything happens in exactly the right way to bring living beings to ultimate awakening.

What language are you taking? 
Classical Chinese

What’s your service scholarship (work study) job? 
Sudhana Center kitchen, security, emergency planning, and East Campus planning.

Do you have a daily practice— if so, what is it? 
Reciting the Shurangama mantra, Guanyin recitation, Earth Store recitation, reciting “The Chapter on Universal Worthy’s Conduct and Vows”.

What do you do for fun? 
Reading my favorite author’s novel.

How has financial aid played a role in your being here? 
Without it, I cannot afford it.

How does what you’re learning here carry out into the world?
We’ll see.