Qinshan Wensui

Qinshan Wensui was a Guiyang school master known for his penetrating exchanges with other Chan teachers. He is recorded in the lamp literature as engaging in dharma combat with masters from other schools, demonstrating the Guiyang tradition's ability to hold its own against the more verbally aggressive styles of the Linji and Yunmen schools.

In one notable exchange, Qinshan asked a visiting monk, "Where did you come from?" The monk named a temple. Qinshan said, "What did the master there teach?" When the monk attempted to describe the teaching, Qinshan cut him off with a sharp response that redirected the monk's attention to his own immediate experience. This encounter shows that the Guiyang school, despite its reputation for subtlety, could be just as direct and forceful as any other school when the situation demanded it.