Is that just a guess or did something in the series hint that it was just that the tree of time lets you energybend?

<p>The requirements for energybending are still very high. </p><p>First, the full knowledge of energybending is kept only to the Lion Turtles and the Avatar. Not many people encounter the ability, or even know it exists. The only confirmed way to transfer the knowledge seems to be energybending, like when the Lion Turtle touches Aang on his forehead and chest. Aang also does the same to Korra. </p><p>Second, making one's own spirit unbendable is difficult. For Aang, he has to have the decisiveness and the strength of will to defeat Ozai his way, despite what others tell him, This is how Aang can stop himself from killing Ozai in the Avatar State. That kind of complete control and awareness of one's own actions is needed for every Avatar who uses the Avatar State. </p><p>For Korra, she has to let go of her attachment to her identity as the Avatar to energybend herself into a giant spirit, mirroring Aang letting go of his attachment to Katara to open his last chakra. This implies that one has to open all their chakras to energybend, which not many people can do. Many can go their whole lives not knowing about energybending and/or not having the will to do it. However, the Avatar learns this unbendable mindset in every life. </p>

<p>Tenzin meets all of these requirements. First of all it was tenzin who knew that energybending was possible for normal people in the first place (somehow). Second of all, tenzin studied the ways of guru pathik and the BG airbender society which guru pathik probably got knowledge of chakras from. Tenzin had the decisiveness and strength of will to oppose tarrlok and his solid voting block for most of book one. Plus, korra energybended without any knowledge or experience about how to do it since that has to come from Aang. The only thing she had was tenzin's advice to bend the energy within herself. </p>

<p>and yet tenzin didn't tell anyone during the equalist movement about this nor was he able to use it, as evidenced by the fact that if he was able to use it then amon threatening to remove his bending wouldn't have mattered. </p>

<p>It's one thing for Tenzin to know of energybending and to study it. It's another thing to be able to practice it. Tenzin most likely knows of bending energy because his father did it to defeat Ozai. Now he knows Korra can do it to restore bending. The information he recites about the Tree of Time and the cosmic energy of the universe is second-hand knowledge from other retellings he has read. He has never seen the Tree of Time in person. He just relays the info to possibly help the one proven energybender he knows. </p><p>It's similar to how Tenzin studies a lot about the spirit world, but he doesn't actually know how to meditate into the spirit world. Energybending is about strength and will of spirit, and Tenzin admits that he still has some spiritual growth to do himself. </p><p>Korra's knowledge of bending energy comes from Aang, which Aang gets from the Lion Turtle. Aang also bends energy for the first time in his fight with Ozai. As viewers, we don't really get a full picture of what Aang experiences with the Lion Turtle, but there is definitely an unseen transfer of knowledge on how exactly to bend energy in a specific way. Between Aang and Korra, there are no words exchanged on the topic of energybending, but Korra knows the technique used by Aang anyway. </p>

<p>but you're forgetting that korra lost her connection to Aang and all the other past avatars before she energybended in the tree of time. Aang's knowledge couldn't have been transferred to korra to help her energybend. In fact, korra wasn't even sure that she could energybend which is why she asked tenzin: "do you really think I can do this?". Before this korra has only ever energybended using her connection to Aang who got the power from the lion turtle but after raava was separated from her the only thing that should have given her an advantage in energybending proficiency should have been that she has an unbendable spirit but surely there's others out there with unbendable spirits especially considering that energybending was once prominent and that the avatar world has probably grown in population since then. </p>

<p>Korra losing her connection to the past Avatars doesn't mean that she forgets all the information she has learned from them. She doesn't forget the story of Wan without Raava. With control of Avatar State, she wouldn't forget what she does within it, which would include energybending. </p><p>Maybe there are other potentially unbendable spirits out there, but what makes the Avatar special is their choice to protect the world and fight to maintain balance at the cost of earthly attachment. People already have a hard time seeing clearly on what holds them back and actually letting go of it, but putting the world first again and again is a very high order. The Avatar's role is unique in its lifetime commitment, which no one else seems to be able to replicate. Additionally, no one but the Avatar knows the secret of energybending first-hand from a Lion Turtle. </p>

Aang has gone into the avatar state before his fight with ozai but if he retained the permanent ability to do all the stuff he had done in the avatar state before that point then he would've easily crushed ozai without needing to go into the avatar state. There's no reason to think that avatars memorize techniques they do in the avatar state. If korra learned something from the past avatars before she lost her connection to them then that would be fine but when you go into the avatar state it is almost like the past avatars doing all the work and it's not like you're being taught everything they know. It's more similar to them using your body to perform the technique.

<p>Aang doesn't retain clear memory in his Avatar States before his final battle because he didn't have control, yet. Before, his past lives would take control to protect Aang. Once he can go in and out of the Avatar State at will, he would be able to act himself with a clear mind and remember what he does in control. Korra can remember herself energybending as well with control of the Avatar State. </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Babyfriend1 wrote:
If korra learned something from the past avatars before she lost her connection to them then that would be fine but when you go into the avatar state it is almost like the past avatars doing all the work and it's not like you're being taught everything they know. It's more similar to them using your body to perform the technique.</i></div>
<p>I agree that Avatars don't retain everything the past Avatars know. However, to be in control of the Avatar State means that Aang and Korra have "complete control and awareness of all [their] actions", as Guru Pathik says. If Korra performed energybending while in control, she would have the awareness to do it again. While Avatars have to figure out traditional bending physically, energybending is different in that the knowledge could be shared through spiritual means. </p>