7. of December - PAUSE Advents calendar

Today’s poem:

Happiness

Happiness cannot be found through

Great effort and will-power,

But is already there, in relaxation

And letting go.

Don’t strain yourself, there is

Nothing to do,

Whatever arises in the mind has

No importance at all,

Because it has no reality whatsoever.

Don’t become attached to it,

Don’t pass judgment.

Let the game happen, on its own,

Springing up and falling back –

Without changing anything –

And all will vanish and reappear

Without end.

Only our searching for happiness

Prevents us from seeing it.

It’s like a rainbow which you run after

Without ever catching it.

Although it does not exist,

It has always been there and

Accompanies you every instant.

Don’t believe in the reality of good

And bad experiences.

They are like rainbows.

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,

You exhaust yourself in vain.

So, make use of it. All is yours already.

Don’t search any further.

Don’t go into the inextricable jungle

Looking for the elephant

Who is already quietly at home.

Nothing to do.

Nothing to force.

Nothing to want,

And everything happens by itself.

                                                              LAMA GENDUN RINPOCHE