13Deshan Carries His Bowl德山托缽
德山一日托缽下堂。見雪峰問者。老漢鐘未鳴鼓未響。托缽向甚處去。山便回方丈。峰舉似巖頭。頭云。大小德山未會末後句。山聞。令侍者喚巖頭來。問曰。汝不肯老僧那。巖頭密啟其意。山乃休去。明日陞座。果與尋常不同。巖頭至僧堂前。拊掌大笑云。且喜得老漢會末後句。他後天下人不奈伊何。
One day Deshan came down to the hall carrying his bowl. Xuefeng said, "Old man, the bell hasn't rung and the drum hasn't sounded. Where are you going with that bowl?"
Deshan turned around and went straight back to his room.
Xuefeng told Yantou what had happened. Yantou said, "For all his fame, Deshan still hasn't grasped the last word."
When Deshan heard this, he sent his attendant to call Yantou in and asked him, "So you don't approve of me?"
Yantou leaned close and whispered what he meant. Deshan let it rest.
The next day Deshan took the seat to teach, and sure enough, it was nothing like his usual talks. Yantou went to the front of the monks' hall, clapped his hands, and laughed out loud. "What a joy. The old man has got the last word at last. From now on no one under heaven can touch him."
Wumen's Comment 無門曰
若是末後句。巖頭德山俱未夢見在。撿點將來好。似一棚傀儡。
If we're talking about the last word, neither Yantou nor Deshan has so much as seen it in a dream. Look the whole thing over: a stage full of puppets.