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Beginner’s Mind as my mantra

April 11, 2016 /

I have worked with key words and recently mantra words in order to easier focus on what truly matters to me. During the weekend I realized that what I’m striving for is the concept of Beginner’s Mind. My current three mantra words are open-mindedness, presence (here and now) and gratitude. These words can, at least to me, easily be included in the concept of a beginner’s mind.

Shoshin is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner’s mind”. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.

The phrase is also used in the title of the book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, who says the following about the correct approach to Zen practice: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”

Source: Shoshin (Wikipedia)

Life is not about good answers, it is about interesting questions is a quote by Paulo Coelho that has the same mindset.

Now all I have to do is stick to the Beginner’s mind. I’m well aware of that it’s easier said than done. Still, it’s within reach and I’ll do my best.

Read more

Your teacup is full (Empty your cup)
Beginner’s Mind

Beginner’s Mind

April 10, 2016 /

Linda Eskin links to my post Your teacup is full (Empty your cup) from her post Beginner’s Mind – The Power of the Empty Teacup. Linda places the story in an Aikido context. I like her conclusions.

Beginner’s Mind is a sense of wonder, about skills, places, things, people, and even about ourselves. Practice it in all you do, whether learning Aikido techniques or talking to a friend, and you will find more depth and richness in your experience.

Keeping an open Beginner’s Mind is a good practice both on the mat and out in the world. Whenever you catch yourself thinking “Oh, this again,” pause and take a fresh look. Stay actively engaged with what you are doing. Ask yourself what about this situation could I be missing? What could I see in a different way? What does this teacher have to say that I have not heard from other teachers? What have I been assuming about this person that might not actually be so?

Beginner's mind

Beginner’s mind

Buddha and the butterfly

March 29, 2016 /

One day a child goes to his mother and asks her, ” Ma, who is that old man sitting on the mountain? ” Mother answers, ” Don’t call him an old man, for he is Lord Buddha, who knows the answer to every question in this universe. ”

” Really, he knows answers to all questions? ” asks the child. ” Yes my dear ” replies the mother.

The child goes to the mountain where Buddha is meditating, catches a butterfly in from the garden, and cupping the butterfly gently in his hands, he approaches Buddha. Keeping his hand behind his back, he asks Buddha, ” Is the thing in my hand alive or dead? ”

The child thinks that if Buddha answers that the thing is alive, he will crush the butterfly in his hand and show the dead butterfly proving Buddha wrong. And if Buddha answers that the thing is dead, he will open his gently cupped hand, allowing the butterfly to fly away showing that the butterfly was alive and again proving Buddha wrong. Thus Buddha did not know the answer to all questions. ” Is the thing in my hand alive or dead? ” repeats the eager child.

The Buddha opens his eyes, nods his head and replies, ” My dear son, the answer lies in your hands!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s keys to a big, creative life

March 8, 2016 /

A very interesting interview with Elizabeth Gilbert turned up in my Facebook stream. Elizabeth Gilbert’s keys to a big, creative life is 50 minutes well spent. I love to hear her talk about creativity and fear.

From that interview is a link to another interview, just as interesting! This interview is from February 2015: Elizabeth Gilbert is guided in her life and writing by curiosity

More with Elizabeth Gilbert

Her TED-talk: A different way to think about creative genius
A book review: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Reflections February 9, 2016

February 9, 2016 /

Today is one of those days when I think too much.

I have three mantra words. They are openness (open-minded, inquisitive, non-judging), presence (be here and now) and gratitude. To me that’s a great mindset. Sometimes they are hard to follow, there are days like today when I do expect much more of myself – making a bigger difference in the world.

Days like these pass, in a larger context they are simply minor bumps in the road. The last days I have watched some videos and listened to some podcasts. What I took from them was this that can be handy to get back to where I want to be.

  • Stay inquisitive! Curiosity might have killed the cat but it drives both learning and change.
  • Be present and grateful!
  • See and create magic!
  • Dare to be messy! (days like today and failing)
  • Be the best you can be!

What are your tricks to get back to your place of strength?

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