行路中堕雪窟

冬至青山老人。嘱赴长安市物。返适大雪。上山至新茅蓬。石壁悬崖间。堕雪窟中。大号。近棚一全上人来救。衣内外湿。将夜恐雪封山连夜拨雪归。诣青师。见公狼狈。嗤不济。笑颔之。返度岁。

宣化偈曰：

为人服务堕雪窟。返被呵嗤不济徒。
任劳任怨任道远。证圣证果证祖师。

Falling into a snow cavity while walking

During the winter, the Master called on the Venerable Master Ch'ing Shan (Blue Mountain), who asked him to go to Ch'ang An for supplies. On the way back, the Master encountered a blizzard as he ascended the mountain. Nearing the new hut, he walked off an overhanging precipice and fell into a snow crevice. His loud hollering brought Dharma Master Yi Ch'uan (Oneness) from a nearby hut to his rescue. The Master's clothing was drenched and night was falling, but fearing that the snow would make the mountain inaccessible, he kept going on through the night. He finally reached Dharma Master Ch'ing Shan's hut, despite the snow. When Dharma Master Ch'ing Shan saw the Master's disheveled appearance. he laughed and told the latter he was useless. The Master smiled and returned to his hut to pass the New Year.

The gatha says:
When the Master was doing someone a favor, he fell into a snowy hollow.
Upon his return, he was laughed at and mocked as being a useless monk.
He tolerated toil and criticism - the road of his mission was long.
He was certified to the fruition of Sagehood, proving himself a Patriarch.