The mind, deluded by the appearance of samsara,

Sees the faults of others with the senses.

It is darkened by the prison of samsara;

It is made intolerable by the fire of samsara;

It is caught in the spider web of samsara;

It is stuck in samsara as the bee is in nectar;

It is encased in samsara like a silkworm in a cocoon.

There is no substance to the hollow tree of samsara.

Samsara is like the moon’s reflection in water,

Without essence;

Samsara is like an animal chasing a mirage;

He who desires samsara falls into a pit.

Samsara is like being trapped in the jaws of a crocodile;

Samsara is like wandering in the land of the rakshas;

Samsara is like a poisonous snake which destroys anyone who sees or touches it;

Samsara is bordered by the precipice of karma;

Samsara is like a wave in water, or fog;

Samsara is tied by the lasso of karma;

Samsara is bound by the seal of karma;

Samsara is the density of darkness;

Samsara is the deep mud of the three poisons;

Samsara is the dance of impermanence;

Samsara is the enchantment of this life;

Samsara is the shadow of birth and death;

Samsara is a merciless hunter;

Samsara is snared by the hound of death;

Samsara is a vast, sorrowful field of grasping and fixation;

Samsara is the galloping horse of the eight worldly dharmas;

Samsara is caught by the iron hook of desire;

Why should I not search for the Lama

While I have this precious, impermanent body?

– Naropa