When Chan Master Nanta Guangyong first went to study with Chan Master Yangshan, Yangshan asked him, “What have you come here for?”
Guangyong answered, “I’ve come to pay my respects to the Chan Master.”
Yangshan then asked, “Have you seen the Chan Master?”
Guangyong answered, “I’ve seen him.”
Yangshan further asked, “Is the Chan Master’s appearance like a donkey or a horse?”
Guangyong said, “I think the Chan Master is also not like a Buddha!”
Yangshan would not let up and proceeded to ask, “If he’s not like a Buddha, then what is he like?”
Not wanting to be outdone, Guangyong answered, “If he’s like anything at all, then what difference is there from a horse or donkey?”
Yangshan exclaimed in great admiration, “You’ve transcended the ordinary and the sacred! Emotions ceased, true essence revealed. In the next twenty years, no one will surpass you. Take good care of yourself.”
After this, whenever Chan Master Yangshan met anyone, he would say in praise, “Guangyong is a Buddha in the flesh.”