有一學僧想到覆船禪師住的地方去，在路上碰到一個賣鹽的老翁，於是就向前問道：「請問覆船路如何去？」老翁許久不答，學僧再問一次。老翁：「我說了，你聾了嗎？」學僧：「你說了什麼？」老翁：「說覆船路。」學僧：「難道你也學禪？」老翁：「不只是禪，連佛法也全會。」學僧：「那你試說看看？」老翁一句話也不說，挑起鹽籃便要走。
學僧不解，只道了一聲：「難！」老翁：「你為什麼這樣說？」學僧：「鹽翁！」老翁：「有何指示？」學僧：「你叫什麼？」老翁：「不可向你說這是鹽。」 要去覆船禪師處，路要怎麼走？既曰覆船，何有道路？道，有難行道、易行道；有大乘道、小乘道。一般學者，總要循道前行，但禪門學者是「丈夫自有沖天志，不向如來行處行」，雖是覆船，又何無路？

A student monk going to see Chan Master Fuchuan came upon an old man who sold salt. “Can you tell me the way to Fuchuan?” the monk asked. Hearing no answer, he asked again. After a long silence, the old man finally said, “I’ve already told you. Are you deaf?” “Told me what?” “The way to Fuchuan.”
“Can it be that you also study Chan?” the monk challenged. “Not only that,” retorted the old man, “I know the whole Dharma.” “Then tell me the way to Fuchuan,” said the monk. But the old man just shouldered his baskets of salt and prepared to leave.
“Difficult!” exclaimed the baffled monk. “Why do you say that?” asked the old man. “Old salt man!” said the monk. “Any problems?” the salt man asked. “What are you called?” said the monk. “I can’t tell you this is salt,” the salt man answered.
What way should we take to Chan Master Fuchuan? “Since it may be a capsized boat, how can we take passage?” There is a difficult path and an easy path, the path of Mahayana and the path of Hinayana. The ordinary student must sick to the path to get anywhere, but a Chan student is like “the great being who intends to take heaven by storm and not walk the path of Tathagata.” He will always find a path, even if it is a capsized boat.

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