Far from being anachronistic curiosities or puzzles to tease the intellect, koans are literally steps on the path of liberation. In his introduction to a translation of The Blue Cliff Record, one the the classic koan collections in the Zen tradition, Maezumi Roshi wrote, “You yourself become the case–this Blue Cliff is your very life.” Riffing on those practice instructions from his teacher, Nyogen Roshi recounts his own motivation in Zen practice. “I wanted each koan to be a turning, showing me a way out of suffering,” he says. “How much of your life is driven by fear? Only you can transform this place.”
