Name: Sehen Gamhewa
Cohort: BA Class of 2025
Hometown: I don’t really have one – between Kuwait and Sri Lanka.
What were you doing before DRBU?: I was working on a computer science degree.
What is an influential class, book, or concept that blew your mind? The multiplicity of reality—how every awareness is like its own universe. Not in the sense of ‘the world of people they know,’ but quite literally, with entire existences, experiences, and universes revolving around us.
Can you tell us the title of a recent paper? What is it about? What is it really about? “Buddha-nature in action.” It delves into how nirvana is present in every moment of existence. What it’s really about is exploring doing things without intentionally doing them and being guided by your deep-down inner moral compass, or whatever you want to call it.
How has DRBU changed you? Are there any surprising things you learned or challenges you faced? The coolest discoveries were about myself and finding personal connections in the readings.
What does contemplative practice mean to you? Do you have a daily practice? Contemplative practice, for me, is quite literal—practicing being contemplative. I engage in constant contemplation, with questions or statements about reality in the background. Other than that, I make tea and meditate at night. Sometimes I read Sutras or texts and laugh with them because they’re great. Poetry and art are cool too.
What’s it like to be a part of the DRBU community? What do you do outside of class? It’s a little hard to describe the experience. People really care about you here, in a positive sense. There is this wholesome wanting to help and to better whatever is happening, which is cool to see. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect, though. Especially because you realize that you brought yourself with you. People are still people, you are still you. Once you see that, you start to work with what you have. But just a simple act of compassion and care from others can go a long way.
Outside of class, I’m usually by myself or with friends, engaging in little rituals, conversations about where we’re at experientially, or discussing what happened at school. It’s not a Buddhist experience in the cultural sense. It is Buddhist in the sense that we’re usually pushing each other to grow towards more freedom.
Can you share a memory of a quintessential DRBU moment with us? So, last Saturday, after pizza night, me and Brandon started brewing some forty-year-old Pu’er tea for everyone. I played a video of cartoons from the sixties. Later, I mixed chillstep electronic music and recitations of Buddhist sutras. It’s beautiful, you can see the air curve into a magical experience where two different worlds are colliding and people are making sense of something completely original to them. A very DRBU moment, if I may.
How has financial aid played a role in your being at DRBU? What’s your service scholarship (work-study) job? I wouldn’t have been able to attend, let alone come to California, without financial aid. I work on the magazine, wash dishes, and do admissions work.
What are you interested in doing after DRBU? How does what you’re learning here carry out into the world? Staying here taught me how fun it is to be happy and to be myself. I plan to take that confidence out into the world, to play in the giant divine playground of existence, and to help as many people as possible. Objectively speaking, I plan to do something in music, writing, art, film, philosophy or teaching. I’ve gained a lot of freedom of mind, intelligence, and confidence being here. And it is pretty cool to be able to take that out and share it.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying to DRBU? You should probably do it. This is a top-tier experience of education, learning, and fun. Don’t worry about getting in somewhere else; focus on getting into DRBU. It’s likely to become more difficult to get in here in a few years as the place grows. So, take a shot. Definitely get involved and try out sitting-in on a few classes.
