Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down. She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.
很久很久以前，有一条美丽的小河在山谷中，森林里，草地间自由的穿行。开始时，她是一股欢快的细流，一股泉水，唱唱跳跳的从山顶流下来。那时，她还很年轻，年幼的她到了低地后就放缓了脚步。她想着要到海里去。她一天一天的长大，学会了怎么样让自己看起来更美，优雅地在山谷、草地里蜿蜒盘旋。

One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. Because of the nature of impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure, her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair, anger,and hatred became her life.
有一天，她在自己的身上看到了云彩。五彩斑斓、各式各样的云彩。那些日子里，她什么事也不做，整日整日的追着云彩跑。她想要一片云彩，属于她自己的一片云彩。但是云飘在空中，还时不时的就换了个形状。有时候，它们看起来像是件外套，有时候，又像匹马。云彩那变化无常的本性，可让小河受尽了苦头。她唯一的乐趣就是追赶云彩，一个接一个的，而绝望、愤怒、憎恨充满了她身体里的每一个细胞。

Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to die. "If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?" But how can a river take her own life?
然而接下来的某一天，一阵大风吹过，刮走了天空中所有的云彩。天空中什么都没了，小河觉得生活失去了意义，因为再也没有云彩可以让她去追逐了。她想到了死。“既然云都没了，那我为什么还要活着？”但是小河又怎么能够结束自己的生命呢？

That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself that she had never seen herself. That night was the first opportunity for her to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered something quite important.
那一夜，生平第一次小河有了重新审视自己的机会。她追着别人跑了太久以致再没看见过自己的模样。那一晚，她第一次听到了自己的哭声，哗哗的水流撞击河床的声音。因着她终于能听到自己的声音，她发现了一些很重要的东西。

The next morning when the sun was in the sky, she discovered something beautiful. She saw the blue sky for the first time. She had never noticed it before. She had only been interested in clouds, and she had missed seeing the sky, which is the home of all the clouds. Clouds are impermanent, but the sky is stable. She realized that the immense sky had been within her heart since the very beginning. This great insight brought her peace and happiness. As she saw the vast wonderful blue sky, she knew that her peace and stability would never be lost again.
第二天一早，太阳出来了，她发现一些极美的东西。第一次，她看到了蓝天。以前她从没注意到。原来，她只关注云彩，都忽略了天空，而天空正是所有云彩的家。云变幻莫测，天空却是一成不变。她意识到广袤的天空其实从一开始就一直在自己的心里。这使她感到了平和与幸福。当她看到浩瀚美妙的蓝天时，她知道那平和与安定再也不会遗失了。

That afternoon the clouds returned, but this time she did not want to possess any of them. She could see the beauty of each cloud, and she was able to welcome all of them. When a cloud came by, she would greet him or her with loving-kindness. When the cloud wanted to go away, she would wave to him or her happily and with loving kindness. She realized that all clouds are her. She didn't have to choose between the clouds and herself. Peace and harmony existed between her and the clouds.
那天下午，云彩出现了，但是这一次，她再也不想拥有它们了。她可以看到所有云彩的美，甚至她还可以欢迎它们了。当一片云经过，她很慈爱地跟他或她问好。当云彩想要离开的时候，她还会开心地向他/她挥手。她意识到所有的云就是她自己。她不必在云和自己中取舍。她和云终于可以和谐相处了。

That evening something wonderful happened. When she opened her heart completely to the evening sky she received the image of the full moon - beautiful, round, like a jewel within herself. She had never imagined that she could receive such a beautiful image. There is a very beautiful poem in Chinese: "The fresh and beautiful moon is travelling in the utmost empty sky. When the mind-rivers of living beings are free, that image of the beautiful moon will reflect in each of us."
那天晚上，奇妙的事情发生了。当她向黑夜敞开心扉的时候，她看到了满月 - 美丽的、圆圆的，就像是镶嵌在自己身上的宝石。她从没想过自己可以看到这么美丽的景象。中国有首很美的诗说的好：“少时不识月，呼作白玉盘。双疑瑶台境，飞在青云端。”

This was the mind of the river at that moment. She received the image of that beautiful moon within her heart, and water, clouds, and moon took each other's hands and practiced walking meditation slowly, slowly to the ocean.
那时候，这也正是小河所想的。她看到了美丽的月亮，在她心里，在水里，在云里，月亮牵着它们的手慢慢地、慢慢地走进海里。

There is nothing to chase after. We can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful vironment.
再也不用去追逐什么了。我们可以重新做回自我，享受我们的呼吸、微笑、自我和我们这美丽的环境。