Yamaoka Tesshu, a young student of Zen, visited Dokuon.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of things is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," said Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"