Creating the Beginner’s Mind

The concept of a beginner’s mind comes from Zen Buddhism. The word is Shoshin. “It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would.” Shunryū Suzuki, author of “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” speaks of abandoning expectations, judgements, and prejudices, and allowing possibilities an expert mind would not be able to comprehend due to the clutter in their brain. A beginner’s mind is as if you are seeing your world and thoughts for the first time though a clean lens.

What if you saw risks as experimentation? And, if the fear of sticking to “the plan” was deleted and the goal of designing a perfect plan was no longer important, how would that feel? What might be possible?

The beginner’s mind is curious, open to everything, and never in a hurry to come to conclusion, if ever. This is where creativity thrives, barriers fall.

Interested? Skeptical? Mary Jaksch, of Goodlife Zen, suggests trying a few of these practices to embrace a beginner’s mind.

1. One step at a time. Stay in the present. Refuse to let the past dictate and leave the future ahead of you.
2. Fall down seven times, get up eight times. See missteps as a curious experimentation, a bold move, an opportunity — not failure. Believe you will come to the answer.
3. Use a “don’t know” mind. “I don’t know” is an answer that leads to more exploration.
4. Live without “should”. “Maybe,” “might,” “I would like to,” are less restrictive and therefore more open.
5. Let go of being an expert. Live with a beginner’s mind, always searching, never rigid or stuck.

For more suggestions go to Mary Jaksch’s Facebook page.

The beginner’s mind is a mindset and a practice. It can influence ways of living and impact how you address day-to-day challenges.

For a more detailed look at the Zen practice of the beginner’s mind, go to Shunryu Suzuki’s, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” on YouTube.

Here is a suggestion for you.

Today, identify a simple problem or annoyance. Set aside any past habits or rules. Using a beginner’s mind, explore, collect options, imagine it happening. Then, try to accept this is what is occurring in the present, may or may not be what is in the future. Stay with the fascination of the moment. You’ll be surprised how creative the rising possibilities will be.