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Practice Zen with a beginner's mind from "summary" of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
The most important point in our practice is to have a beginner’s mind. It is essential to maintain the original attitude toward practice and to continue in that way. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, “I have attained something.” All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner’s mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. In the beginner’s mind, there is no thought of good or bad. A beginner’s mind is innocent and free from preconceptions. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and to question. It is open to all possibilities. When we approach practice with a beginner’s mind, we are not limited by what we think we know. We can see things as they ...
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