If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. This isn’t some kind of weird incitement to violence; it means that if you believe that the teachings are something out there (like happiness), then you’re on the wrong path. Like many other initially puzzling Zen statements, it’s meant to shock us out of smugness, blind observance, and attachment to an ossified set of beliefs. It reminds us that Buddhism should be a deeply personal, internal quest.
