In another part of the song, Yung-chia says that it is important to spend time practicing alone in the mountains. However, it is clear from other writings that Yung-chia usually espoused the opposite opinion. He supported practice within society rather than in the solitude of the mountains. After returning from his meeting with Hui-neng, Yung-chia received an invitation from Hsuan-lang, the future Fifth Patriarch of the T'ien-tai sect. In the invitation, Hsuan-lang extolled the benefits of meditating in the mountains. Yung-chia replied:
"Our world is not paying attention to the right path. People study with those who have neither practice nor learning. We cannot leave the spreading of the Dharma to those who do not have genuine understanding and realization, and who do not practice correctly."
"He who stays in the mountains must be at the stage where there is no digression from the Dharma, not even for an instant. It is wrong to think that it is easier to practice away from ordinary existence because there are fewer disturbances. If your mind is not at peace, you will not find peace in the mountains. The sun, clouds and fog can all upset the calm of your mind. Someone already enlightened to the Path is invulnerable to any interference, so for him there is no difference between living in the mountains and living in society."
"Anyone who thinks it is easier to practice in the mountains is really clamping two handcuffs on his wrists. The first handcuff is love, and the second is displeasure."
In the Song of Enlightenment, however, Yung-chia urges practitioners to devote themselves to ascetic practice in the seclusion of the mountains.