Question:
I have heard the phrase “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” many times. Can you explain this?
Answer:
It actually comes from an old koan attributed to Zen Master Linji, (the founder of the Rinzai sect). It’s a simple one:
“If you meet the Buddha, kill him.” — Linji
I’m sure you already realize that it’s not being literal. The road, the killing, and even the Buddha are symbolic.
The road is generally taken to mean the path to Enlightenment; that might be through meditation, study, prayer, or just some aspect of your way of life. Your life is your ‚Äúroad.‚Äù That’s fairly straightforward as far as metaphors go.
But how do you meet the Buddha on this “road?” Imagine meeting some symbolic Buddha. Would he be a great teacher that you might actually meet and follow in the real world? Could that Buddha be you yourself, having reached Enlightenment? Or maybe you have some idealized image of perfection that equates to your concept of the Buddha or Enlightenment.
Whatever your conception is of the Buddha, it’s WRONG! Now kill that image and keep practicing. This all has to do with the idea that reality is an impermanent illusion. If you believe that you have a correct image of what it means to be Enlightened, then you need to throw out (kill) that image and keep meditating.
Most people have heard the first chapter of the Tao, “The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.” (So if you think you see the real Tao, kill it and move on).
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He who speaks of the Tao does not know the Tao.
I’m enlightened. I will sell you the answer for $0.01.
I will send you the answer first, pay later….
just send a email to me.
my email is below….
See the darkness, hear the silence, find your peace with inner violence
Then should you meet the Buddha as you walk along your road
You can kill the fat impostor as the story has been told…
Nothing is worth doing – it really is.
no one reaches ‘enlightenment’. we are not supposed to. only buddha can be totally aware, as it is buddha.we (one) is to only practice awareness, and in the constant practice of it, change is enacted.
if we reflect on that change, it too has passed. arrival is not possible, nor desired, nor required.
Hmmm – so it seems that all enlightenment comes from within not from without is the teaching here. Very enlightening. But hang on, as this comes from without it cannot be believed any more than any other external enlightenment, so it should be disregarded. Very enlightening – not.
it’s like being humble. the instant you think you are, you’re not.
“kill the kali” as with ramakrishna paramahamsar……..
In my experience when i experienced the ultimate, i did not kill the “murugan”[my favourite god] he got dissolved himself, once he got dissolved, everything got dissolved, i myself got dissolved…… I lost I …….there was the experience of pure bright light….which i can never describe…..no language can describe that experience…..
Tat vam asi …. AHAM BRAMHASMI …. U R THE ONE .. and that ONE is also not present….. AUM………
Enlightenment is not seeing the truth but seeing it isnt there! Where? Anywhere.
if you find him on the road the point is missed
The sound of one hand clapping is sometimes a slap in the face.
Most of you are missing the point entirely. You don’t meditate with a purpose of getting something out of it. You’re not supposed to get anything out of it. That’s the point. Meditation is to clear the mental daily chitter chatter of your mind so that you realised the NOW, the moment that exists is all there is. Everything, includign YOU that happens of itself, is God.
” There are all kinds of yogas and exercises for people who want to be difficult ” – Alan Watts.
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.
It’s always seeking. It’s always journeying, but never arriving. Truth is found on the continuous path.
Since there is no self that can experience Buddhahood, there is no path for this non-self to tread. Once one realizes the concept of separate self is an illusion, the realization that there is no destination to reach for or achieve becomes readily apparent, and the search for enlightenment ceases. Paradoxically, that is the enlightenment we were seeking…
I’ve been told you can’t get something from nothing. But, you CAN get everything from something.
IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND IT, GET RID OF IT!!
OMG! Why are you doing this to me? I can only understand HALF of what you people are trying to say and it gets me confused. E.g.: “…you can’t get something from nothing–but you can get everythign from something”? WTF?! Why are you all talking in riddles? “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” They’re both the same, nothing happened. How can I get something from nothing? “Enlightenment is not seeing the truth but seeing it isn’t there.” Seeing what that isn’t there? Where? Where are you looking? Obviously, you aren’t looking physically at something. But what truth are you trying to find? Obviously, THE truth, but how can you find it if you don’t know what it looks like when you finally find it? And how can you be sure you have found it if it isn’t there, when you finally find it???
The one about being humble but then thinking you are, suddenly makes you NOT humble is just plain confusing. It’s all confusing but the words are trying to say something that makes sense but it’s not all making sense when you try to unravel it all—it’s damn frustrating really. It’s like being so close but then realizing how close you really are and then suddenly you realize that you aren’t close at all but so very far away—if that all makese sense (sorry).
If you meet someone who claims to have all the answers (regardless of subject)get away from them and continue learning on your on or from various teachers.
1) Animal are all reborn infinite time into many forms, so of course, in uncountable condition and location.
Animal = mind + form
Tree has no mind and form with auto reaction but no intention.
Animal have intention.
Form can be both tangible and intangible.
2) Birth and Death is together. Cannot be separate.
3) Death is suffering.
Asks yrself, do U still wan to reborn if U can remember all the past infinite life.
The only way to be no reborn is to return the mind to the nature.
The process to return the mind cannot be the intention way but it’s an automatic way when U see the ultimate truth enough with yr own eyes.
Ultimately truth is
1) Everything is impermanent. (Look at yr own body, U need to keep moving even at sleep.)
2) Everything is suffering (Impermanent –> Suffering)
3) Everything has no real owner or has no self. (It’s all temporary condition, U can not own it)
The illusion come from memory and thinking. Keep looking at yr self whether moving of body or mind.
The mind as as subject is to know the object. Mind and object is different thing
To be continue….
It’s a wonderful thing to know you feel confused. Confusion leads to reaching for better understanding. Confusion leads to curiosity. Confusion leads to exploration. Confusion leads to searching for new and better ways, openness, and growth. And as M. Scott Peck noticed, “Virtually all the evil in this world is committed by those who are absolutely certain they know what they are doing.” So when you meet someone who has a bit of “monkey-mind,” going on, consider what it is you mean when you say you believe in love and non-judgmentalism. Consider whether or not you truly believe in compassion, encouragement, and enlightenment. Consider whether or not you are really certain you comprehend all that much about what matters in life. Consider whether or not you’re really certain about anything, because it could be that seemingly confused person with the monkey-mind is the Buddha.
“He who thinks he knows, does not know.” Have the presence of mind to explore and see things just as they are, without labels or judgements. Things are constantly changing, yet there is a continuity to the flow. Be curious, keep on practicing……
when you are the buddha you dont meet him at the road.
I didn’t come here, and I ain’t leaving.
–Willie Nelson
The search for Buddha is the search for enlightenment. That is to say we seek the meaning of life, the meaning of existence, or simply the meaning. When they say that you are the Buddha, it is basically saying that God is within us and that we are each a part of God, and God is a part of us. All life is connected even if we can not see the connection, feel it or taste it. When you see a hungry beggar on the street, stop and feed them. If need be wash them clothe them, and practice the basic golden rule of treating others as we would want to be treated. Christ said the same as well when he said how you treat the lowliest of men is how you treat me, because all men are my brothers and women my sisters, my parents, my children. Christ was truly an enlightened man. He saw the truth in life, that everything has a connection to each other and is on some level dependent upon every other person. He did not spend his days amongst only the rich and famous although clearly He could have. Instead he was known for and often condemned for spending his time amongst the sick, the poor, the unwashed, and the dregs of humanity. When asked by people what they could do for him, he replied that what ever you do for the least of humanity, you do for me. This is the same message that is spread through most religions. The idea is that people matter. It is up to each of us to assist our fellow man, to help one another, to sacrifice for each other and to share our happiness. There is also involved in most religions the concept that yesterday is gone, tomorrow is always in the future, and that all we have is today, this moment in time, and it is up to us how we spend that precious moment. We can wallow in our own unhappiness, we can cause others to be unhappy, or we can choose to find joy, and to share that joy with others, without boundaries.