萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 3.112

3.112

The Master said: The poem 'Qi Ao' in the Mao Odes praises Duke Wu's virtue: he possessed culture and was able to listen to admonitions, guarding himself with propriety, and thus was able to serve as chief minister to the Zhou. Admiring him, they composed this poem: 'Look at that cove of the Qi, with its luxuriant green bamboos. There is an elegant gentleman, as if cut, as if filed, as if carved, as if polished.' The commentary says: 'Working bone is called cutting; ivory is called filing; jade is called carving; stone is called polishing.' Through Yantou, Deshan and Xuefeng brought forth and clarified the final word, and down to the present day this dialogue is widely practiced—the power of cutting, polishing, and adapting to change. Xuefeng is like the staff turned into a dragon; this monk is like the hibernating shuttle. Yantou pointed it out, yet to this day it is not understood; therefore, those dying on the same branch are few. Some say Yantou is like the staff turned into a dragon, and Xuefeng is like the hibernating shuttle—please look closely at the previous dialogue. Xuedou and Foguo used double brightness and double darkness to versify this dialogue; none but fully seasoned practitioners can understand it. In the 'Biographies of Magicians' of the Later Han: Fei Changfang of Runan once served as a market clerk. He met Hugong, who severed a green bamboo staff to fake Changfang's hanging himself at home. They then entered the deep mountains together. Failing in his study of the Way, he took leave to return. Hugong gave him a bamboo staff: 'Ride this to your home, then cast it into Gepi.' Changfang threw the staff into the marsh, and it transformed into a dragon and departed. Again, when Tao Kan of the Jin was young, he was fishing in Leize and netted a shuttle, which he hung on the wall. Later, hearing thunder and lightning, it transformed into a dragon and departed. Xuefeng is like the staff, this monk is like the shuttle, Yantou is like the wind-borne boat carrying the moon. What does Wansong resemble? A tea pitcher of Gong County.