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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 9

fundamental reason for our lack of progress is that “From his early studies, Phakmo Drukpa had a question
we do not know the essential point of how to practice that he thought about a lot and frequently asked: What
the Dharma. What is the real way to practice? How is is the cause of cycling in saṃsāra? When he asked his
it that Dharma turns into true Dharma? The key point tutors in the monastic college, they replied, ‘Ignorance,’
is that actual practice happens through reversing our and gave him extensive explanations of this classic reply
attachment to saṃsāra. found in most texts. Though this was true, Phakmo
Drupa did not find it particularly helpful. When he was
“Often we use the term saṃsāra without really studying with the great Sakyapa and asked the question,
knowing what the term means. For example, where I he did find the reply somewhat helpful. Finally, when he
was born, ordinary people think that saṃsāra refers came to meet Lord Gampopa, he asked him this same
to householders, who get married and have children. question.
They think monastics are much better off because they
have abandoned saṃsāra. When speaking of their own “How did the meeting go? When Phakmo Drupa meet
experience of raising and supporting many children, Gampopa, the master was eating tsampa (roasted barley
they say saṃsāra is no fun, but they really do not flour, a Tibetan staple) rolled up into balls. By way of
understand the depth of saṃsāra; marriage and having introduction, Phakmo Drukpa related to Gampopa an
children is much too narrow a definition. account of what he had studied and practiced, and then
he asked his question. Gampopa replied, ‘The cause of
“Those who have studied Dharma a little bit think that saṃsāra is this mind of the present moment.’ He added,
saṃsāra refers to this world or the three realms of ‘You have done a lot of Dharma practice, but you’ve
saṃsāra. If, however, we were to ask, ‘What is saṃsāra completely missed the point. Your practice amounts to
really?’ we would have to think carefully about it. nothing. My ball of tsampa here is more valuable than
Usually, saṃsāra is described as our connection with all of your study and practice put together.’ Gampopa’s
the five aggregates that are contaminated and that answer benefited Phakmo Drupa so much that he
continually take on or appropriate saṃsāric existence realized Gampopa was his karmically destined guru on
one moment after another. This is the way we cycle whom he had relied in previous lives, and so he took
helplessly through the three realms of saṃsāra. him as his guru for this life, too.

“A story about Phakmo Drukpa (1110-1170) further “You might wonder why Gampopa’s reply, ‘The cause
illustrates this. He was the one of the great disciples of of saṃsāra is this mind of the present moment,”’
Gampopa, and from him stem the eight later lineages finally answered Phakmo Drupa’s question. When
of the Kagyu. He first studied in the Kadampa monastic ignorance is defined as the root of saṃsāra, and it
colleges, then received the teachings of Path and Result becomes something we talk about and discuss, we are
from a Sakya master, and finally, he became a close actually distancing ourselves from our own ignorance.
disciple of Gampopa.