Yung-chia countered, "How can no birth have any meaning?"

Hui-neng probed even deeper: "If there is no meaning, then who makes the distinction?"

Yung-chia replied, "Even making the distinction is not the meaning."

Hui-neng praised Yung-chia again: "Splendid! You have done well. Please stay for the night."

Yung-chia did stay the night, and returned to Lung-hsing temple the following day. Many practitioners studied with Yung-chia in his remaining years, and his fame grew. He was so highly respected, that upon his death in 713, the Emperor of China bestowed upon him the posthumous title, Wu-hsiang, which means "without phenomenon."

Yung-chia's views of the Dharma and practice are made clear, not only in the Song of Enlightenment, but also in the Ch'an-tsung Yung-chia-Chi, which can be found in the Taisho Tripitaka. In the ten articles that make up the latter work, Yung-chia lays out the essentials of his teachings.

He stressed that one who is serious about the Dharma should not have too much pride or desire. One must strive to maintain purity in thought, words and action, which will help to purify one's personal karma. To do this, a practitioner must abide by the precepts. Yung-chia believed that without precepts, a practitioner could not truly study Buddhadharma or practice samatha (calming the mind) and vipassana (insight). However, with proper behavior and practice, a Dharma seeker can enter samadhi, and eventually generate wisdom. Wisdom will arise only when, as the Vimalakirti Sutra states, principles (noumena) and phenomena are not separate.