Mindfulness is a quality of attention that has several key attributes, like presence, patience, and kindness. Another is beginner’s mind. Beginner’s mind is also called “not-knowing mind.” The great Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki famously said, “In the mind of a beginner there are many possibilities. In the mind of an expert there are few.” When we think we know exactly what is happening to us and why in any given moment - when we assume the mind of an expert - we’ve lost our curiosity. We’ve shut ourselves off from the mystery of our life and any potential lessons the moment may teach us. When we “know” what’s happening to us, we often drift off into the trance of automatic pilot and disengage from really being present and living our life. That’s why cultivating beginner’s mind is so important. It keeps us awake and connected to what’s actually here.
When we approach any question or experience with beginner’s mind it means that we are totally open to whatever we discover. As we meditate on the breath and we are being present, every breath is new. But if we have a fixed idea about how the breath should be, then we’ll forget to pay attention to it. We’ll take the breath for granted and in so doing lose the breath and lose our presence. Having forgotten the present moment, our bodies and minds are like a leaking roof — stress drips into our living room, pools, and overwhelms us. When we remember the present moment, the roof becomes airtight and stress bounces off us.
Beginner’s mind means not taking anything for granted. When we pay attention to the breath, we let go of the past and the future, and just relax into the knowing of each breath. We are not looking for an idea of the breath but its felt sense — the texture and flavor of it from the inside. The same is true when we are being mindful in the routine moments of our lives.
If we feel sadness at a loss we have suffered, we can use beginner’s mind to open to the experience of loss. We don’t think, “Oh, I know what I need to get rid of this sadness. I’ll get a new friend, a new lover, a new job.” Instead we use beginner’s mind to get curious about the sadness, to see how deep it goes within us, to learn how it speaks in the body, and to notice its texture and tone and the thoughts and judgments associated with it. Using beginner’s mind, we learn about our heart and the heart of the world.
During a conversation with a friend who is telling us something important to them, we may interrupt frequently, assuming that we know what they are about to say. We may interrupt impatiently and say, “Yeah, right, right, I know, I know, right.” Or we can practice beginner’s mind and really listen to what our friend has to share without defining what they say before they say it — who knows, maybe we can learn something from our friend if we don’t keep interrupting with, “I know, I know.”
When the computer at your office stops working, you can assume the attitude of an expert — “I’ve used this computer every day for the last year and it’s always worked. How dare it stop working!?” As an expert, you assume that the computer not working isn’t supposed to be happening. And you can create a whole story about how terrible it is that the computer isn’t working today of all days, when you are so busy, and how screwed up that makes your day. “Expert” stories like this really make us suffer.
Or, when the computer doesn’t start you can apply beginner’s mind. Maybe you’ll be curious about why it’s not working. Maybe you’ll check to see if it’s plugged in! Or maybe you’ll ask for help from the IT person at work. Or maybe you’ll take a break and have a cup of tea. Your problem is still the same, but your attitude is totally different. You see the difference? You realize that the computer not functioning is not a mistake and not to be taken personally. It’s just a problem that will need to be solved. Your attitude dictates whether you suffer or don’t as you figure out how to get your computer back up and running. Beginner’s mind helps us have the right attitude.
Remember, beginner’s mind is a way of approaching life. We practice it by remembering to be present in each moment to what is actually happening – not what our mind on autopilot tells us should be happening. And research has shown that mindfulness practice promotes beginner’s mind by keeping the mind cognitively flexible and more able to approach a situation with fresh eyes.
And be kind to yourself when you notice that you haven’t been in beginner’s mind for the last few minutes, or hours, or days even – the beautiful thing about beginner’s mind is that, right now, in this moment, you can begin again.
Thank you. That was a very helpful way to look at mindfulness.
Very thoughtful and helpful. Hopefully I’ll remember it as I wade back into the stream of disturbances.