"When you meet the Buddha, kill him" refers to "killing" a Buddha you perceive as separate from yourself because such a Buddha is an illusion.
In Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Weatherhill, 1970), Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said,
"Zen master will say, 'Kill the Buddha!' Kill the Buddha if the Buddha exists somewhere else.
Kill the Buddha, because you should resume your own Buddha nature."
Kill the Buddha if the Buddha exists somewhere else. If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha.
In other words, if you encounter a "Buddha" separate from yourself, you are deluded.
https://www.learnreligions.com/kill-the-buddha-449940
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