宏智禪師廣錄 1.48

1.48

Ascending the hall, [the Master] cited: Senior Monk De was at Caoshan. Caoshan asked, "When a bodhisattva is in samādhi and hears a fragrant elephant crossing a river, what sūtra does that come from?"
De said, "The Nirvāṇa Sūtra."
Caoshan said, "Is it heard before samādhi or heard after samādhi?"
De said, "The Venerable is drifting with the stream."
Caoshan said, "Saying it is saying it exceedingly well, but you have only said eighty percent."
De said, "What about the Venerable?"
Caoshan said, "Catch it down at the rapids."
The Master said, "Senior Monk De truly recognized the illness; Caoshan was skilled at administering the medicine. If you understand it like this, I grant that you have a share in peace and joy. If it is not yet so, it cannot be helped but to treat a dead horse. Grasping involves function; hearing it is precise. The fragrant elephant crossing the river—let everyone understand it thoroughly."