“Dr. Meow, in my dream, I saw the jaguar lost on the boat, feeling anxious, happy, and sad all at once… but what is her name?”

“Ah, Mita, I hadn’t even told you yet how she ended up on the boat. The jaguar came with names that kept changing until she met Zangmo, who is from the Harakbut lineage.”

“Wow, Dr. Meow, I’m confused — is Zangmo a Harakbut? And I don’t even know what a Harakbut is… what kind of animal is that?”

“Ah, Mita, the Harakbut are indigenous people from Peru who had a deep connection with spirituality, nature, and animals.”

“Dr. Meow, who on earth was that person? Did she bring the jaguar to the boat? Now I’m even more confused. A human being bringing a jaguar to the boat — that’s even more unusual.”

“Mita, she is a young Harakbut girl who, one day, became Zangmo — a figure who wished to help all beings on Earth. Besides her Harakbut identity, she received that name as she walked a path close to the Tibetans.”

“And what does the name Zangmo mean?”

“You know, Mita, one day I also heard that there are several interpretations of the name Zangmo, but one of them is ‘virtuous woman.’”

“Dr. Meow, have you ever met her?”

“You know, Mita, along my journey I learned that Zangmo is a young indigenous woman who wants to protect the Earth. On her path, she witnessed how the indigenous population and the animals of the Amazon were facing disappearance.”

“One day, she saw an abandoned, half-broken boat. She decided to try to fix it, even though she didn’t know how. She remembered that one day she had seen bees building their hives, so she asked the wise bee to help her with the boat. She began by sharing her idea to create a haven for those who respect the Earth. She even wanted to reforest.”

“Dr. Meow, I want to meet Zangmo. She must know that birds can bring seeds to help reforest.”

“You know, Mita, Zangmo told me that she received her name from the Tibetans in the middle of the Amazon. She was surrounded by nature while they were creating a mandala.”

“Dr. Meow, wow, I understand. I’ve been to so many Tibetan places, and I felt in a way that it was just like Tibet losing its land — just like the indigenous people, and just like mine.”

“Ah, Mita, that’s why you have that name; you’ve been close to the Tibetans. That is the impermanence of life. Just like Zangmo received her name: even without fully understanding it at first, she listened and resonated with it. The Tibetans gave her that name recognizing the young girl’s kindness. And that practice of the Mandala is to cultivate detachment. I imagine they gave her that name upon seeing the compassion she holds for everything on our Earth.”

“Wow, Dr. Meow, and so it was there that she met the jaguar and was able to bring her onto the boat. Wow, I almost forgot my curiosity about the jaguar’s name!”

“True, Mita, I almost forgot to tell you the jaguar’s name, too. Zangmo saw her and walked close to the jaguar, and she started calling the jaguar Apetpet.”

“Wow, the jaguar? She didn’t try to attack because she sensed Zangmo’s goodness. She felt that kindness which doesn’t come from who we are on this Earth, but from our actions and reactions.”

“True, Mita. Apetpet told me that when she met Zangmo there in the Amazon, Zangmo looked at her with a compassion she had never seen before.”

“Dr. Meow, I understand. Neither Zangmo nor Apetpet wanted to leave the Amazon, but this time, they had to depart.”

“Mita, it is truly heartbreaking for living beings to watch humans destroying trees without appreciating the value of nature. Right there, Zangmo spoke her name and declared that they would board the boat to help all living creatures and nourish them with their seeds.”

“Ah, Dr. Meow, you know, I was also once close to humans — they say they are superior, yet they kill and abandon. That’s why it seems these humans like to observe, only to abandon our nature afterwards.”

“Ah, Mita, your dream makes me reflect… sometimes we have to leave a place to search for something good. And right when we were doing so well, why did we end up moving to a worse place, or expecting everything to turn out for the worst?”

“Exactly, Dr. Meow. Every day, just as before, I used to think the other place would be better, but then I turn around and see it’s even worse than where we are.”

“Ah, Mita, just like your name Mitaka — whoever gave you that name wanted you to understand that everything in life is impermanent. But I understand… yet perhaps the most beautiful thing is for us to meditate and see the beauty of everything within our mind, right where we are. Right there, and never look at the negative side. I learned not to keep dwelling on past places as if they were better. That traps our mind, preventing us from realizing that those places also had negative aspects. Now I only see the beauty of the past, forgetting that there were hardships there too. We must see the beauty of where we are right now.”

“Dr. Meow, that’s true, but how can you not see the destruction of our Earth? What beauty do you see right now?”

“True, Mita, but I see that throughout our journey, as you crossed paths with us, we have actions and reactions. And right here on this boat, Zangmo brought us the seeds so that we can reforest.”

“Dr. Meow, you’re right. Let’s meditate… but let’s reforest.”

With love , Dr Meow