Generally speaking, you tend to be most earnest and dedicated when you freshly become a monastic. Therefore, you must seize the timing and make the best of it to establish diligence and stability. Otherwise, if you go too easy on yourself and miss the boat, by the time you become an abbot or mentor, getting overwhelmed by all the offerings from your followers, you will lose sight of your original aspiration. A practitioner must always keep this in mind.
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
時不可蹉 – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
凡人初出家，心必猛利，當趁此時，一氣做工夫，使有成立。若悠悠揚揚，蹉過此時，日後或住院，或受徒，或信施繁廣，多為所累，淪沒初志。修行人不可不知。
Buddha Mind 