A tangle of thorny bushes : the faint murmur of running water.
But here and there are footprints --- is this the right path ?
If you want to pierce its nose and tie it up, do not rely on someone else's strength !
Your fundamental task is not that of trying in various ways to make things easier for yourself. If you intend to cultivate the mind, then you have to practice meditation. Yet even though you try, the meditation may not seem to progress. So you must remind yourself of the need to do such practice. In this way you will be able to check and control the distracted thoughts which pull you away from the meditation.
While you are struggling around with much hardship in the "tangle of thorny bushes," you may hear "the faint murmur of running water." This refers to the intrusion of certain external obstacles that occasionally interfere with the practice. The "faint murmur of running water" means that a mara is present. It may be that the people around you, your family, or some harmful friends start telling you that you may as well drop the idea of meditation since it doesn't seem to be getting you anywhere. But instead of listening to them you should carefully pay heed to the words of the Buddhas, the patriarchs, and other wise spiritual teachers. In doing this, the determination to persevere in the practice will grow in your mind.
When there is no progress, it is simply because you are not exerting sufficient effort yourself. To think otherwise is foolish. It is ridiculous to complain that no one is helping you when you yourself are not making any effort. Therefore, "if you want to pierce its nose nad tie it up, do not rely on someone else's strength !"
At this point you may also start to notice that "here and there are footprints." This may lead you to believe that now you are surely on "the right path." Your task is to follow these footprints. You have to proceed entirely on the basis of your own effort. Following these footprints is like climbing a high mountain. Even if someone were to stand motionless at the base of such a mountain just staring at it for ten thousand years, this would be of no use at all. Step by step, he must follow the path to the top himself. Of course, the one who walks quickly will get there before the one who walks slowly. But no matter how you proceed, you have to go on your own.