“If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him”
— Linji Yixuan (Lin Chi), Chinese Zen master, 9th century
Hearing this Zen teaching for the first time, I was struck by both amazement and surprise. Zen encourages questioning and self-reliance, and this line is not about actual killing or violence; rather, it points toward detachment from external teachings and authorities in order to awaken the wisdom within yourself.
A statement like that is called a koan—a paradoxical expression in the Zen tradition meant to push students beyond ordinary thought. In practice, a teacher presents a koan to a student, who then meditates on it—sometimes for years. Once the student demonstrates understanding, the teacher offers a new koan. This structured approach trains the mind, breaking habitual patterns of thinking and loosening the hold of conditioning.
Zen meditation, or zazen, is rooted in the Buddha’s teachings and uses simple sitting as its foundation. Encountering this practice offered me a fresh perspective on spiritual inquiry. Zen calls us to trust the wisdom that already resides within ourselves, rather than clinging to external teachers or traditions.
I feel this resonates deeply with the Buddha’s teaching of theKalama Sutta.
“Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.”
— Kalama Sutta: The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry
This is something we should embody in our lives: to question, to reflect, and to act in ways that we recognize as beneficial and wise, rather than following anything blindly. The Buddha is merely a teacher, and this is a path we must walk ourselves, guided by our own discernment and inner insight.
I once questioned why there aren’t many teachings after the stream-entry level and looked for information about it, and now I think I understand.
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
When the student is truly ready, the teacher disappears.”
— Lao Tzu
© Dr. Tune. All rights reserved.
The Buddha's words are in the public domain; any copyright here applies only to the presentation.
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