萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 2.49

2.49

師云。南山鼈鼻雖是死蛇。象骨巖前解弄也活。雪峯拈來示眾。本要以毒去毒。長慶只解順水推舡。道今日堂中大有人喪身失命。若解逆風把柂。雪峯須入涅槃堂始得。玄沙聞舉云。須是我稜兄始得。這裏有些子誵訛。若道玄沙許長慶。為甚麼。却道我即不恁麼。不唯順水推舡。更解逆風把柂。這僧不顧危亡。便間和尚作麼生。玄沙只道。箇用南山作麼。這裏便見弄活蛇手。雲門便攛拄杖作怕勢。用得最親。雲巖掃地話頌中。曾舉象骨巖前弄蛇手。兒時做處老知羞。為雲門道奴見婢殷勤。便騎賊馬趁賊。也不妨惡手脚。今日再頌弄蛇話。誇拏龍手。看他大斧斫了手摩挲。頌云。

The Master said: Although the blunt-nosed viper of Southern Mountain is a dead snake, before the Elephant Bone Rock one who knows how to play with it makes it alive. Xuefeng brought it out to show the assembly fundamentally wanting to use poison to remove poison. Changqing only knew how to push the boat along with the current, saying, 'Today in the hall many people have lost their bodies and lives.' If he had known how to hold the rudder against the wind, Xuefeng would have had to enter the Nirvāṇa Hall. When Xuansha heard it recounted, he said, 'It takes my brother Leng to manage this.' Here there is a bit of ambiguity. If you say Xuansha approved of Changqing, why did he then say, 'With me it is not so'? Not only pushing the boat along with the current, he also knew how to hold the rudder against the wind. This monk, disregarding danger and ruin, immediately asked, 'How is it with the Venerable?' Xuansha merely said, 'What use is Southern Mountain?' Right here one sees the hand that handles a live snake. Yunmen then threw his staff down and made a posture of fright; his use of it was the most intimate. In the verse on the story of Yunyan sweeping the ground, it was once cited: 'The snake-handling hands before the Elephant Bone Rock: / what was done in childhood brings shame in old age.' Because Yunmen said, 'A male slave seeing a maidservant is attentive,' he immediately rode the thief's horse in pursuit of the thief—which does no harm to being a wicked move. Today, again versifying the story of handling the snake, he praises the dragon-capturing hand. See how after he cuts with the great axe, he strokes it with his hand. The verse says: