Stepping Off the Hundred-Foot Pole

Take a step from the top of the hundred-foot pole.

Changsha said,

The enlightened person sits on the top of a hundred-foot pole;
She has entered the way but it is not yet real.
She must take a step from the top of the pole,
And worlds in the ten directions will be her complete body.

This was the first koan I ever spoke on. I had a very small audience and was not convinced that I should teach. I think I unconsciously chose this koan without realizing that I was taking a risk and plunging into the unknown.

For all creative activity we must step from a high place without guarantees. There is something exhilarating about that act. That’s the way to live!