For thousands of years, in the zen tradition, nurturing the beginner’s mind was something to be admired, a goal to be strived for.
What the heck happened?
In ancient India, the beginner’s mind was described as one of awe, one of wonderment where an openness to all that exists was implied. The potential of such a mind seemed limitless.
Today’s beginner’s mind seems to be something completely different. Today’s beginner’s mind is very judgmental. It is convinced that it ‘knows’ nothing and is basically incapable of doing even the simplest of tasks. It is always thinking the worst and it is has adopted an entire set of beliefs that make us feel safe, but are COMPLETELY wrong.
The beginner’s mind of old nurtured trust and in that trust anything could be accomplished. Today’s beginner’s mind is rooted in a sense of ‘I’m not good enough’; it is much more logical and creates numerous obstacles to accomplishing anything.
How can we drop the present day beginner’s mind and move into the trust that arises from dropping all knowledge without being paralyzed by the reality of not-knowing and yet being open to Life being revealed to us.?
Knowing nothing allows us the opportunity to discover amazing things. The fear that can arise from not knowing can make us cripples, incapable of accomplishing even the simplest of tasks successfully.
Enjoy the journey…………….