One koan, Six Verisons, for Step 1

Happy New Year, 2019, there is no better place than to begin with Step 1.

The second Friday falls on January 11th. Hope to see you soon.

Bill K. 


Step 1:  We admitted we were powerless over something -- that our lives had become unmanageable.

Same Koan, different translations:

1) James Green’s version:

Viewing the Snow:  Layman P’ang pointed to the falling snow and said, “The snow is so beautiful; each flake lands in the same place.”

2) Ruth Fuller Sasaki's version:
"Flake after flake does not fall another place."

3) Blue Cliff Record case 42:
"Good snowflakes -- they don't fall in any other place."

4) Yamada's translation is:
"Beautiful snow flakes! They don't fall on any other place."

5) John & Joan's translation:
“Beautiful snowflakes! They don’t fall in that other place.”

6) Sekida's translation:
"Beautiful snow- flakes, one by one; but they fall nowhere else."