Xinghua’s successor, Nanyuan Huiyong, was known for
the strictness of his manner and the frequency with which he used staff. On one
occasion Nanyuan asked a newly arrived monk his reason for coming to the
monastery.
“I’ve come to pay my respects to Master Nanyuan” the
monk said.
“He isn’t here.”
The monk shouted, “Ho!”
“I said Nanyuan isn’t here. What’s the use in
shouting?”
The monk shouted again, and Nanyuan struck him. The
monk bowed.
“Actually,” Nanyuan remarked, “it was you who struck
me. I merely struck back.”
Zen Masters of China: 246-47
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