Time is never running out of due to re-birth.
Time is always running out due to re-death.
From your letter, I see that you are diligently fighting bad habits but have not yet obtained results. This is because you are not truly concerned about the issue of Birth and Death [being trapped in rebirth], nor have you internalized the method that helps people to “transcend the human realm for that of the saints [Buddha and Bodhisattvas],” sever delusive karma and achieve pure thoughts. That is why you have failed to achieve true results.
You should always ponder this truth: “It is diffcult to be reborn as a human being, it is difficult to learn of the Buddha Dharma, it is difficult to encounter the Pure Land method. I am fortunate today to have been reborn as a human being and am in the favorable position of having learned about the Pure Land method. How dare I waste this limited lifespan on evanescent form, fragrance, fame and fortune? How can I resign myself to an empty life and useless death, wallowing along the Six Paths [of rebirth] – with no end in sight?”
You should paste the word “death” on your forehead, so that when you meet with various circumstances unworthy of attachment, you will immediately recognize them as boiling cauldrons and firepits that can only harm you. In this way, you will not be like a moth, freely choosing to fly into the flame and burning to death.
Pure-Land Zen, Zen Pure Land: Letters from Patriarch Yin Kuang
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/yin_kuang.pdf
Related Course:
Understanding Amituofo Via The Amitabha Sutra (Introduction to Pure Land Teachings)
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2012/01/course-understanding-amituofo-via-the-amitabha-sutra-9th-run
Buddha Dharma teaches us how to live life well. Sadly, amidst today’s hectic lifestyle, most people are too busy to devote some time studying it as they think it is too philosophical and gets in the way of ‘enjoyment’.