Beginner's Mind
Have you ever wanted to experience life like a child with no point-of-view or opinion because everything is fresh and new? How often do you feel wonder in your everyday experience?
Hello and welcome every one. This week we’re exploring Beginner’s Mind. When we are of Beginner’s Mind everything is fresh and new; there are no preconceived answers or attitudes. When we are with Beginner’s Mind, we are full of wonder and acceptance in each moment.
I hope you are enjoying the show and that you will continue to welcome it into your lives. Please follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen. Your support is so important and I thank you.
Beginner’s mind is the attitude of mind that is open, eager, and free from preconceptions of how to do something, think about something, or be something. A person with beginner’s mind has a mind that is open and receptive and void of conditioned attitudes, views, and beliefs. There is no being stuck in a certain way of doing things or thinking because the mind is accustomed to thinking or doing things in a particular way and therefore not open to any other way of thinking or doing. It comes from a place of equanimity.
Beginner’s mind sounds simple, but it takes practice. The more crowded our minds are with all the stuff of self, the harder it is to have Beginner’s Mind. This is why mind cleaning is so helpful and why we practice.
This week I invite you to contemplate Beginners Mind before you enter a new interaction or before you assert a point-of-view to a colleague, friend, or partner.
What point-of-view or opinion am I bringing to this?
Is this point-of-view familar to me?
How long has it been around?
Do I remember the first time it popped up in my consciousness?
In this interaction, am I attached to a certain outcome?
Can I let go of it? If not, why not? What is it doing for me? How does it bolster or relate to my I-identity? How is my point-of-view tied to an outcomes I am attached to?
What does it feel like in my body when I let it go? What does it feel like in my body when I don’t let it go?
Thank you for listening today. I so appreciate you and also appreciate the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.
Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;
Bill Rafferty for technical web support;
Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and
Margaret Haas for announcing the show
Be well. Be mindful.
CREDITS/RESOURCES
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, Shambhala, Boston and London, 2011
Joseph Goldstein, “7 Treasures of Awakening: The Benefits of Mindfulness,” excepted from the book: Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, Sounds True, Boulder Colorado, 2013, 2016
Stanley A Temple, “Rachel Carson and a Childhood sense of Wonder,” Fellows Forum, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters Magazine, Summer 2015 https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/magazine/rachel-carson-and-childhood-sense-wonder
DISCLAIMER
The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional.
