If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him?

Ninth-century Chinese Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan famously told his disciples, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." Upon first hearing these words, I was instantly intrigued. I pictured a group of spiritual practitioners utterly perplexed at the words their teacher just spoke. The scene must have been comical: people with wide eyes, dropped jaws, and confused expressions as they eagerly tried to make sense of their teacher’s shocking assertion.