Koans are an indispensable tool on the path to enlightenment. They reveal Truth through presenting the reader with a paradox that can only be solved by changing one's attitudes. The venerable Koans of the past, those that have been handed down through the generations are written in the language of the past. The reader needs to be able to fully enter into that archaic language if they are to benefit. This book re-represents the Koans in modern language, accessible to all. It will not please the traditionalists, but it will make the wisdom contained therein accessible to a whole new generation of seeker. Each koan encapsulates a profound truth for reflection. Zen counsels the lessening of the ego, not the strengthening of it as consumer culture would urge. Instead of making a name for ourselves in society, we should listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs, in other words become no-thing, entering instead the field of pure being that is behind the phenomenal world.