Yantou, being a wild man himself, quite rightly expresses that the lineage of Deshan is contained in the strike. This did not agree with Qinshan and he left to study with the Dongshan, ultimately becoming one of his dharma heirs.

Qinshan later in the Long Life Hall, either where sick monks go to recuperate or where monks would go to chant for good health, expresses his disapproval to his friend, Yantou. 7

Deshan’s striking Qinshan _is_ the appearance of their teachings right in this moment. Qinshan starts to speak (ie starts conceptualizing). Deshan cuts that off immediately, leaving only the wordless present moment. 6

Finally, Longtan and Tianhuang are Deshan’s teacher and his teacher’s teacher. So Qinshan is asking about lineage. And specifically about how lineage appears in this very moment, ie how their teachings appear right now. 5

Dongshan was noted for his gentle nature.

Oddly enough Qinshan’s friends Yantou and Xuefeng had both previously studied under Dongshan, but due to their rowdy behavior, were advised to study under Deshan. 4

Qinshan was a monk with a rather gentle spirit. He practiced under Deshan for a while along with his friends Yantou and Xuefeng. Shortly after this dialogue though, Qinshan left and began to study under Dongshan, the founder of the school that would become Soto Zen. 3

A little background on the monks involved. Deshan was know for his very severe and confrontational style. He’s the zen master who famously said: “Say it wrong? You get 30 blows. Say it right? You still get 30 blows.” 2