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8 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

“The key points of all these teachings are the same: “The first reason why we need to cultivate the desire
They present a summary of the entire path of the for liberation at the very beginning is that we have
sutra and tantra, brought together in one place and not become saddened, displeased, or fed up with
formulated as practical instruction. Since the Buddha’s saṃsāra, and so we do not let go of our craving for its
teachings are vast, it would be very difficult to find the pleasures. Consequently, it would not be possible for
time and opportunity to study them all. However, if we us to attain liberation. We must, therefore, relinquish
study well these key instructions of the great gurus and our attachment and craving for saṃsāra itself. An
come to understand them, we will know how to practice analogy for our mind’s relation to saṃsāra is that of
Dharma. a moth to light. The moth is attracted to the light, but
the heat burns and kills the moth. The light itself does
“Yesterday we began looking at the desire for liberation not cause its death; it is the moth’s own attachment to
as it is presented in the Three Principles of the Path. light that ends its life. Likewise, through our attraction
This is one of the three main topics of this treatise along to saṃsāra, we humans take what is actually suffering
with developing bodhichitta and a correct view. The text to be happiness and so bring about our endless cycling
is also presented in three parts: the introduction, the through saṃsāra.
main part, and the conclusion. The Introduction with
its several subdivisions is not as important as the main “Usually when we describe the root of saṃsāra, we
part, so we will focus on this, reprising the topic of the say it is a powerful fixation on oneself, which is a kind
desire for liberation, and then turning to generating of ignorance. Actually, this is the first of the twelve
bodhichitta. interdependent links that generate saṃsāra. In addition
ignorance, the eighth link of craving and the ninth link
“As we saw before, the first topic has three aspects: the of undertaking—all considered afflictions—play an
reason for developing the desire for liberation, the way important role in the formation of saṃsāra. When all
to do this, and how to gauge its extent. The first one is three are present, the causes and conditions for samsara
described in the following stanza: are complete and it becomes fully functional. However,
without craving, the mechanism of saṃsāra does work
Without a completely pure desire for freedom from well. Since ignorance, craving, and undertaking cause us
samsara, to remain in saṃsāra, it is essential that we bring an end
There is no way to pacify suffering while one is seeking to our craving and attachment.
the results of pleasure in the ocean of existence.
Through craving for further existence beings are utterly “Over the years, we may have done a lot of spiritual
bound. practice, performing prostrations, making offerings,
Therefore, first seek to develop a sincere desire for and meditating on the yidam deities, and we hope that
freedom from samsara. blessings will come to us from doing all this. Yet we
have neither tamed nor transformed our minds. The