According to Master Juefan Huihong, the talent and virtue of Dong Po will live on for ages to come, and his insight about Buddhism also goes far. The only thing unfortunate about Dong Po, however, is that he couldn’t let go of the Taoist attempts at immortality and ended up toiling in vain, and eventually he died from it.
If even someone as remarkable as Dong Po couldn’t have exempted from such mundane pursuits, what hope is there for the rest of mankind! Some people talk about nonbirth all the time, while deep down they all hope for immortality. Other people set out to study nonbirth, but soon enough they turn to chase after longevity. The reason for that is because they all fail to truly understand, and they all fail to stabilize the mind.
A Buddhist practitioner should never let their mind get distracted from the right way, not even for one little moment!
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
東坡(一) – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
洪覺範謂東坡文章德行炳煥千古，又深入佛法，而不能忘情於長生之術，非唯無功，反坐此病卒。予謂東坡尚爾，況其餘乎! 今有口談無生，而心慕長生者；有始學無生，俄而改業長生者。蓋知之不真，見之不定耳。故道人不可剎那失正知見。
Buddha Mind 