虛堂和尚語錄 1.178

1.178

Ascending the hall, [the Master] cited: "Yantou asked a monk, 'Where have you come from?' The monk said, 'I have come from the Western Capital.' Yantou said, 'After Huang Chao passed through, did you retrieve a sword?' The monk said, 'I retrieved one.' Yantou stepped forward, stretched out his neck, and said, 'Gwah!' The monk said, 'Master, your head has fallen!' Yantou roared with laughter. Later, the monk arrived at Xuefeng's place. Xuefeng said, 'Where have you come from?' The monk said, 'I have come from Yantou.' Xuefeng said, 'What words has Yantou had recently?' The monk cited the previous story. Xuefeng gave him thirty blows of the staff and drove him out."
The Master said: "If that monk at that time had recognized the crucial point within Yantou's laughter, even if Xuefeng's staff were still longer, it would not have been able to hit him."