A poem by the scholar-poet Zava Damdin (b.1976). Please refer to the Index of Mongolian Poetry and Articles for other works that may be of interest.

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GOING

(English Translation)

Going and going, going in the direction of great auspiciousness
Going and going, going in the direction of inner education
Going and going, going in the direction of cultural enlightenment
Going and going, going along this amazing way

Going and going, going along beneath the vastness of space
Going and going, going along cheerfully in the sun and moonlight
Going and going, going along such a wide-open steppe
Going and going, in three thousand countless universes! [1]

Going is not for just one life, going is for several
Going is not only for just one kalpa, going is for a hundred thousand kalpas
Going is not the coward’s way, going is for the courageous
Going is not a trivial matter, it is going on the path of the great gurus

If you find the right path, there’s no turning back
If you’ve made the decision, there’s no reason to get discouraged
Overcoming the many hindrances encountered, only serves to make one more formidable
Going this way, is like following a snow lion’s footprints

Going and going, one should arrive at the correct destination
Going and going, one develops complete realisation and method
Going and going, one will arrive at ultimate wisdom
Going and going, towards complete enlightenment

Delgertsogt Mountain
Zava Damdin

12.03.2023

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Translated by Zava Damdin and C.Pleteshner.
English interpretation 20.03.2023 from the original Mongolian 12.03.2023

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ЯВЖ БАЙНА

(Original Mongolian)

Явж байна, явж байна, сайн сайхны зүг явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, эрдэм номын зүг явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, соёл гэгээрлийн зүг явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, гайхамшигт явдлын зүг явж байна

Явж байна, явж байна, уужимхан тэнгэрийн дор явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, уйтгар үгүй наран саран дор явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, уудам талын дээр явж байна
Явж байна, явж байна, тоолж томшгүй гурван мянган ертөнц дотор явж байна

Явж байгаа нь нэгэн төрөлдөө бус, нэлээн хэдэн төрөлдөө явж байна
Явж байгаа нь гагц галбад бус, мянга түмэн галбад явж байна
Явж байгаа нь хулчгар явдлаар бус эрэмгий явдлаар явж байна
Явж байгаа нь өчүүхэн явдлаар бус богд нарын замд явж байна

Явах зам мөрөө олсон болбаас ухрах зам үгүй
Явахаар шийдсэн бол шантрах шалтгаан үгүй
Явах мөрд саад тотгор олон ч хатангатгахуйн уг
Явдал мөр нь цагаан арслангийн мөрийг мөшгөмүй

Яван явсаар зорьсон газраа хүрэх нь лавтай
Яван явсаар арга, ухааны алсад хүрмүй
Яван явсаар билгийн чанад хязгаар одмуй
Яван явсаар бодийн дээд хутгийг олох болмуй

Дэлгэрцогт уул
Зава Дамдин

12.03.2023

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NOTES

[1] According to this lineage of Gelugpa Buddhist teachings, there are 3000 countless universes in space: the first 1000 countless universes, the second 1000 countless universes and the third cluster of 1000 countless universes. The ‘1000’ is only the name, and not the meaning. So, how does one count 1000 such universes? One starts from the number one and continues right up until a 64-digit numeral. The 64-digit is the last number of all the universes. The first countless number of the 64-digit universe is considered as only the first, with the total number of universes of this first series again expanding in number to the 64-digit number. The second series of countless universes is calculated in a similar way up to the 64th digit. A similar pattern of expansion is applied to the third cluster of 1000 countless universes.

Source: Zava Damdin Lama (b.1976). 2015 Green Wood Horse Year. The Great Nenchen (First Edition). Ulaanbaatar: Zava Damdin Scripture and Sutra Institute.  English language translation by Catherine Pleteshner and Erdenetsogtyn Sodontogos. ISBN 9778-99962-4-344-8. Footnote 24, p23.

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FURTHER READING

For another poetic perspective on finding one’s direction, see Mongolian Poetry 48: Taking Bearings From the Centre.

Questions of endeavour take a more social turn in Letter from Mongolia 12: On Meritocracy.

For a companion to the poem’s determination to keep going, see Mongolian Poetry 23: Do Not Give Up, with its emphasis on perseverance.

The question of how we proceed shifts into methodology in Letter from Mongolia 30: Writing Cultural Difference.