The cause of Samsara is the Blindness--the subject-object pattern of thought which does not exist in the dualistic-free Mind-essence. Enlightenment or the attainment of Buddhahood is nothing but the complete realization of this Mind-essence. The experience of the final realm of truth lies beyond the opposites and thoughts of Yes and No.

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The manifestation is mind, the Voidness is also mind
The enlightenment is mind, and the Blindness is also mind
The springing of things is mind, and their extinction is also mind
May I understand that all Increasing and Decreasing inhere in mind.

All activities, existences, experiences, Sangsaric or Nirvanic, all stem from the mind. If one understands and realizes the mind, he understands and realizes all.

'Increasing' and 'Decreasing' here means the two opposites: the purity and defilement, the merits and sins, the enlightenment and blindness etc.

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Unsullied by intentional practice or meditation-with-effort
Away from the Worldly-Wind of distraction
With no effort and correction, I rest comfortably on the natural state of mind
May I find the adroit and subtle teaching of Mind Practice.

The difference between Mahamudra and other types of meditation is that in Mahamudra no meditation-effort and no correction is employed; but in most other types of meditations such as visualizing a subject, holding the breath, meditating on love and divine mercy a mental effort is always required [**],

concentration--choosing one and rejecting the other--is always stressed, whereas in the practice of Mahamudra, no effort whatsoever is required. After one has realized the essence of mind, concentration or non-concentration, distracted thoughts and Samadhi all become Mahamudra itself. Though for the beginners of Mahamudra, the distractions are obstacles for their meditation, they still should not 'intentionally practice Mahamudra' or meditate Mahamudra with effort. Because any effort or intentional practice helps not but impedes the realization of Mind-Essence. Hence, to comfortably rest on "the awareness of mind" and observe it is the key-instruction of Mahamudra.

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The waves of Thought-Flow--strong and weak, clear and dim--subside
Without disturbance the River-of-Consciousness flows naturally
Far from the mud of drowsiness and distraction
Let the steady and immutable Ocean of Samadhi, absorb me!

The chief difficulty for the meditator arises from the habitual flow-of-thought common to everyone and which, according to Buddhism, has had this characteristic flowing nature from the very no-beginning. Besides this uncontrollable and habitual thinking the two chief obstacles hindering the meditator are drowsiness and distraction. Only through the attaining of a steady Samadhi can these obstacles be overcome.

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