Master Seppo's Turtle-nosed Snake | Zen Koan

The Case

Zen master Seppo, speaking to the assembly,said, "There is a turtle-nosed snake on the South Mountain. You should have a good look at it." Chokei said, "Today, in this temple, there is obviously one man who has lost his life."

Later, a monk related this to Gensha, who said, "Only Brother Ryo (Chokei Eryo) can answer like that; as for me, I am different." "How are you different?" asked the monk. Gensha said, "What use is there in making use of the South Mountain?" Ummon threw his staff down in front of Seppo and made a gesture as if he were afraid of it.

Engo's Introduction

The great universe is boundless. As for how small it is, it is like an atom. Grasping and releasing, developing and declining, are not in others' hands; they are all in your own. If you want to get rid of encumbrances and cut through entanglements, you must transcend form and sound and remove all trace of the activity of mind; then you will be in an impregnable position and absolutely independent, like a thousand-fathom cliff. Tell me, who was ever like this?

Verse

Mount Seppo was too steep to climb;
Only the skilled could try it.
Chökei and Gensha made nothing of it;
How many truly lost their lives?
Ummon knew how to beat the bushes;
The snake-its nature so-was nowhere to be found.
The staff, suddenly flung down,
Opened its mouth right before Seppo.
It strikes like lightning,
If you try to look for it, you fail;
Now it is hidden on this peak of Nyuho:
If you want to see it, look at it directly.
[All of a sudden Setcho gave a shout and said, "Look out beneath your feet!"]