There is Nothing to Make for the Research of Happiness - a bad Translation from French
Update: Look at the comments for a translation from CJ.
A representative of this organization, www.buddha-land.com, recently contacted me to use the Medicine Buddha drawing on this website in some handouts to be distributed at the construction of a Medicine Buddha Mandala. I visited their site, which is in French. I used Google’s translation service to tranlate this text by Lama Guendune Rinpoche. It is said that when reading texts like this on emptiness, most people will want to run away in fear, but the fortunate ones will feel instant releif, as if coming home. I follow it with a bad translation of my own. Please, do not take either of these as authoratative. Here’s the original French version. Any French-like-people out there who can translate this more properly?
There is Nothing to Make for the Research of Happiness:
by LAMA Guendune Rinpoché
Happiness is not with much effort and will but resides there, very close, in the relaxation and the abandonment.
Worry you, it does not have nothing there to make.
All that rises in the spirit does not have any importance because no reality has.
Does not attach you to it. Do not judge yourself.
Let the play be done all alone, to rise and to fall down, without anything to change, and very disappears and starts again unceasingly.
Only this research of happiness prevents us from seeing it.
It is as a rainbow which one continues without never catching up with it. Because there does not exist, that it always was there and accompanies you at every moment.
Do not believe in the reality of the good or bad experiments; they are like rainbows.
To want to seize the imperceptible one, one becomes exhausted in vain. Since one slackens this seizure space is there, open, hospital and comfortable.
Then profit. All is with you, already. Do not seek any more.
Will not seek in the inextricable jungle the elephant which is quietly at the house.
Nothing to make.
Nothing to force
Nothing to want.
And all is done all alone.
om mani padme hum
And my tranlation of the bad translation:
There is Nothing to Get from Looking for Happiness
by LAMA Guendune Rinpoché
Happiness is not found through great effort. It resides within, very close, in relaxation and abandonment.
If you worry, it can not be found
All that rises in the mind does not have any importance, because it has no reality.
Do not attach to the mind. Do not judge.
Let the play of mind be done alone, rising and ceasing, without anything to change; dissapearing, it starts again unceasingly.
Only searching for happiness prevents you from seeing it.
It is a rainbow, which one follows without ever catching up to it. Because it does not exist, it always was there and accompanies you at every moment.
Do not believe in the reality of the good or bad judgements; they are like rainbows.
To want to see that which is imperceptible, one becomes exhausted in vain. When one releases this grasping, space is there, open, hospitable and comfortable.
There is attainment. Happiness is with you, already. Do not seek any more.
Do not seek in the jungle the elephant which is quietly at the house.
Nothing to make.
Nothing to force
Nothing to want.
And all is done all alone.
om mani padme hum
russellji said,
11.01.06 at 6:19 pm
Very Nice!
CJ said,
11.06.06 at 4:32 am
Pretty good translation, let me tidy it up a bit for you - here is my take:
There is no point looking for happiness.
You won’t find happiness with lots of effort or desire. But it exists right there, in calmess and letting go.
Don’t worry, there is nothing to do.
Anything that arises in the mind has no importance because it is not real.
Don’t become attached to it, or judge it.
Let it play out its game: rising and falling. Don’t change anything. It will all disappear and reappear again and again.
It is only this searching of happiness that prevents us from seeing it.
It’s like chasing a rainbow and never finding the end. It just doens’t exist: that which has always been there and is with you in in moment.
Don’t believe in the reality of your good and bad experiences, they are like these rainbows!
In wanting to cease the unobtainable, you’ll end up exhausting yourself in vain. As soon as we let go of this grasping, the space is there: open, welcoming and comfortable.
So let’s make the most of it. You have it already. Stop searching.
Don’t go looking for the elephant in the jungle when it’s already quietly in your home!
Nothing to do.
Nothing to force.
Nothing to want.
It happens by itself.
Love CJ