Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvâna), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already.
Appamādo amatapadaṁ, pamādo maccuno padaṁ; Appamattā na mīyanti, ye pamattā yathā matā.
So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom.
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; …
You have crossed the great ocean; why do you halt so near the shore? make haste to get on the other side; Gautama, &c.
That man can have nothing but what he strives for; That (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight: Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete;
The philosopher Tsang being ill, Meng Chang went to ask how he was. Tsang said to him, "When a bird is about to die, its notes are mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are good. …
He turned to his wife and said, "O dame, / The harvest of December is not as that of July; / Though they be dead or though they be living, / Are they not equally visible to the eyes of the heart? / I behold them clearly before me, / Wherefore should I disfigure my countenance like you? / Though they have gone forth by revolution of fortune, / They are with me still, playing round me. …