虛堂和尚語錄 3.123

3.123

Ascending the hall, he cited: "When Yangshan was herding oxen at Guishan, Senior Monk Titian Tai asked, 'When a hundred billion lions appear at the tips of a hundred billion hairs, what then?' Yangshan did not answer. When he returned to attend Guishan, Senior Monk Tai suddenly came. Yangshan said, 'Earlier you asked about a hundred billion lions on a hundred billion hairs—was that not you, Senior Monk?' Tai said, 'It was.' Yangshan said, 'At the very moment of appearing, do they appear before the hair or after the hair?' Tai said, 'When appearing, one does not speak of before or after.' Yangshan flicked his sleeves and walked right out. Guishan said, 'The lion's back is broken!'" The Master said: "Yangshan only wanted Guishan to confirm it, thinking he had secretly gained the upper hand. If Senior Monk Tai at that time had waited for him to ask whether they appear before the hair or after the hair, and simply looked up to the sky and laughed out loud, Yangshan would not have been able to flick his sleeves and walk out either."