11/02/2026
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If You Meet the Buddha, Kill Him — The Zen Truth That Destroys Spiritual Ego | Zen teachings of Linji Yixuan
This is one of the most misunderstood statements in the entire history of spirituality.
When Linji Yixuan said,
“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha,”
he was not calling for violence.
He was declaring war on spiritual dependency.
The moment you cling to an image of Buddha,
a concept of enlightenment,
a memory of truth,
or a borrowed authority —
you are no longer free.
Zen is ruthless here.
Buddha is not a person to worship.
Buddha is not a statue to protect.
Buddha is not a belief to defend.
Buddha is direct seeing.
And the moment Buddha becomes an idea in your mind,
that idea becomes an obstacle.
Linji’s statement is a surgical strike against:
– spiritual idols
– second-hand wisdom
– borrowed certainty
– and ego hiding behind holiness
The real danger is not ignorance.
The real danger is thinking you already know.
Zen does not want followers.
It wants awake human beings.
Kill the Buddha means:
Kill the authority outside you.
Kill the image inside you.
Kill the comfort of borrowed truth.
Only then does reality reveal itself — raw, alive, immediate.
Truth does not need protection.
It needs perception.
And perception happens only when nothing stands in between.
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📜 Original Source (Historically Accurate, Interpretation-Safe)
Zen teachings of Linji Yixuan,
recorded in The Record of Linji (Linji Lu) —
a classical Zen text emphasizing direct realization,
non-attachment to forms, and freedom from spiritual authority.
Modern interpretive explanation aligned with core Zen principles of non-clinging and immediacy.
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