Beginner 39;s Mind Zen

[Tea Rochlitz]

Youcan practice whenever you talk to another human being, dropping your ideas of how they should be and instead emptying your mind and seeing them as they are. Notice their good heart, their difficulties, and be grateful for them as they are. Love them for who they are and find compassion for their struggles.

Shoshin (Japanese: 初心) is a concept from Zen Buddhism meaning beginner's mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying, even at an advanced level, just as a beginner would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts,[1] and was popularized outside of Japan by Shunryū Suzuki's 1970 book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

The practice of shoshin acts as a counter to the hubris and closed-mindedness often associated with thinking of oneself as an expert.[2] This includes the Einstellung effect, where a person becomes so accustomed to a certain way of doing things that they do not consider or acknowledge new ideas or approaches.[3] The word shoshin is a combination of sho (Japanese: 初), meaning "beginner" or "initial", and shin (Japanese: 心), meaning "mind".[4]

Shoshin wasuru bekarazu (or sometimes variously Shoshin wo wasuru bekarazu[10]) is a Japanese proverb about shoshin coined by Japanese playwright Zeami in 1424.[11][10] The phrase is typically translated into English as some variation of "never forget the beginner's mind"[12][13] or "never forget your original intent"[10] and persists as a common proverb amongst practitioners of Budō[13] and in Japanese business and entrepreneurship.[14] The concept of shoshin is seen in works such as the eighteenth century book Budshoshinsh by Daidōji Yūzan, which is a collection of works about Bushidō and the warrior class in Tokugawa-period Japan.[15] The word shoshin within the title refers to the concept of the beginner's mind.[12]

Shoshin is described as the first of the states of mind or stages of Budō.[17] Shoshin (beginner's mind) is followed by Mushin (empty mind), Fudōshin (immovable mind), and Zanshin (remaining mind).[18] A fifth state is sometimes also added as Senshin (enlightened mind).[19] In Budō the practitioner is advised to retain shoshin throughout their training and practice of the martial arts; it is not reserved only for those beginning to practice but is maintained even when reaching the higher levels of mastery.[17] Shoshin-sha is a term used in martial arts to indicate a novice.[12]

Shoshin is an influence on the Japanese Metabolism style of architecture, which incorporates concepts from Zen Buddhism and other Asian philosophical traditions into the architectural process and allows those concepts to help shape the design process.[20] Many businesses and people who work in the field of business have adopted or advocate for practicing the concept of shoshin in the business environment,[21][8][9] including top executives such as Apple Inc.'s founder and CEO Steve Jobs, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.[22] It is also used or proposed as a way of general living[23] or a way to approach specific fields of life including social work,[24] medical care,[25] teaching,[26] computer programming,[27] gardening,[28] sports,[29] and dealing with chronic diseases such as phenylketonuria.[30]

The consequences of intellectual overconfidence can be seen in the debates surrounding controversial contemporary issues. Take the matter of genetically modified (GM) foods, which are overwhelmingly considered to be safe based on current scientific knowledge. Research has shown that people who hold the strongest anti-GM views, believing that they are harmful, are the most inclined to overestimate their relevant knowledge.

Researchers tested this in a series of studies published in 2018, finding that people who felt their partner or friends were more responsive (that is, kind and understanding) also tended to be more humble and open to other viewpoints. A similar study from 2017 found that people with a more secure attachment style (who feel confident in their relationships) were more open to considering counter arguments to their beliefs.

There are myriad books that explore in great detail the foibles of the human mind and why it makes sense to be intellectually humble. Two of my favourites are Intuition: Its Powers and Perils (2004) by David Myers and, more recently, The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions (2019) by David Robson.

As kids, we approach life full of awe, as if every person, place, and thing we discover is magical and novel. But as we grow older and indulge in the mass array of perspectives and preconceived notions about the world, our outlook starts to sour, and it gets harder to feel that child-like sense of amazement.

Shoshin: A term from Zen Buddhist teachings referring to the act of having an open mind, letting go of all preconceived notions, and looking at every aspect of life from a fresh, untarnished perspective

Zazen: A form of seated meditation used in Zen Buddhism in congruence with the mind-state of shoshin, used to gain insight into the nature of being and to maintain a state of presence.

Born in 1904, Shunryu Suzuki was a Japanese Zen master of the Soto school who immigrated to the United States in 1958. He founded the Zen Center in San Francisco and Zen Mountain Center in Tassajara, California, the first Soto monastery in the western hemisphere.

The consequences of intellectual overconfidence continue in contemporary scientific debates. An example is a debate surrounding genetically-modified foods (GMOs), which have largely been deemed safe by the scientific community. Research has demonstrated that individuals who hold the fiercest anti-GMO views are the most likely to overestimate their knowledge on the topic.7 This overestimation of competence is explained by a psychological phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and can have far-reaching implications on a systemic level.

For more than 50 years, Kripalu has been a leader in yoga- and mindfulness-based education. More than just poses on a mat, we believe yoga is an accessible practice that inspires connection, compassion, and joy.

Earlier this week I was having lunch with Indigo, our small child at City Center. He saw an object on the table and got very interested in it. He picked it up and started fooling with it: looking at it, putting it in his mouth, and banging on the table with itjust engaging with it without any previous idea of what it was. For Indigo, it was just an interesting thing, and it was a delight to him to see what he could do with this thing. You and I would see it and say, "It's a spoon. It sits there and you use it for soup." It doesn't have all the possibilities that he finds in it.

Can we look at our lives in such a way? Can we look at all of the aspects of our lives with this mind, just open to see what there is to see? I don't know about you, but I have a hard time doing that. I have a lot of habits of mindI think most of us do. Children begin to lose that innocent quality after a while, and soon they want to be "the one who knows." We all want to be the one who knows. But if we decide we "know" something, we are not open to other possibilities anymore. And that's a shame. We lose something very vital in our life when it's more important to us to be "one who knows" than it is to be awake to what's happening. We get disappointed because we expect one thing, and it doesn't happen quite like that. Or we think something ought to be like this, and it turns out different. Instead of saying, "Oh, isn't that interesting," we say, "Yuck, not what I thought it would be." Pity. The very nature of beginner's mind is not knowing in a certain way, not being an expert. As Suzuki Roshi said in the prologue to Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's there are few." As an expert, you've already got it figured out, so you don't need to pay attention to what's happening. Pity.

How can we cultivate this mind that is free to just be awake? In zazen, in just sitting, in sitting and noticing the busyness of our mind and all of the fixed views that we carry. Once we noticed the fixed views that we are carrying around with us, the preconceptions that we are carrying around with us, then it is possible for us to let them go and say, "Well, maybe so, maybe not." Suzuki Roshi once said, "The essence of Zen is 'Not Always So'." "Not always so." It's a good little phrase to carry around when you're sure. It gives you an opportunity to look again more carefully and see what other possibilities there might be in the situation.

In China, there was a teacher named Dizang (J.: Rakan) who had a student named Fayan (J.: Hogen). Dizang saw Fayan all dressed in his traveling clothes, with his straw sandals and his staff, and a pack on his back, and Dizang said, "Where are you going?" Fayan answered, "Around on pilgrimage." Dizang said, "What is the purpose of pilgrimage?" Fayan said, "I don't know." Dizang said, "Not knowing is nearest." Sometimes it's translated as "Not knowing is most intimate." Not knowing is nearest or most intimate.

So what is this "not knowing"? This is not the same "not knowing" as when Zhaozhou (J: Joshu) asked his teacher Nanquan (J.: Nansen), "What is the way?" Nanquan answered, "Ordinary mind is the way." Just your mind, the way it is right here and right now. Zhaozhou asked, "Well, shall I seek after it or not?" Nanquan said, "If you seek after it, you'll miss it." Zhaozhou said, "If I don't seek after it, how will I know the way?" Nanquan said, "The way is not a matter of knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion, and not knowing is dullness. When you reach the Way beyond all doubt, you will find it as vast and boundless as outer space. What can that have to do with right or wrong?"

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