A monk had been suffering from illness for years, long confined to his bed. Though everyone knew he was certain to die, he harbored no thought of death and would become displeased whenever the subject was raised. I sent someone to tell him plainly: “You should promptly attend to your final affairs and focus your mind on the Buddha name.” He dismissed this, saying that his birthday was coming up, and it’s inauspicious to talk about such a thing before that. He promised he would gradually ease into it afterwards.
His birthday was the 17th of this month, but he died a day prior. Alas! Human life hangs by a single breath — a truth the Buddha keeps reminding even those who are healthy. Dying yet still holding on to ignorance – nothing would be more pitiful than that!
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
人命呼吸間 – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
一僧瘵疾經年，久憊枕席，眾知必死，而彼無死想，語之死，輒不懌。予使人直告:「令速治後事，一心正念。」彼謂男病忌生日前，過期當徐議之耳。本月十七日乃其始生，先一日奄忽。吁! 人命在呼吸間，佛為無病人言之也。況垂死而不悟，悲夫!
Buddha Mind 