There is a concept in Zen Buddhism known as shoshin, which means “beginner’s mind.” Shoshin refers to the idea of letting go of your preconceptions and having an attitude of openness when studying a subject. When you are a true beginner, your mind is empty and open.
Minimalism is about more than getting rid of stuff. It’s a mindset, a way of life. These two qoutes say it well.
At its core, being a minimalist means investing your time in the important things in life.
The first step in crafting a life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t. — Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist
The next quote comes from 7 Ways to Live a Simpler Life in a Modern World
Time and money are two of the most valuable resources people have. When life gets simpler, the amount of these two things that a person has available will rise. That is the benefit of a simpler life in today’s world.
Despite the how in the title, How to Design a Simple Life is as much about why. There’s good advice in that post (the quote below is just a small part of it).
Designing a simple life doesn’t just mean throwing out all the things. It’s not about a life of most, it’s not about a life of least, it’s about the life that’s right for you.
You don’t have to get rid of things just for the sake of getting rid of them. You remove what you don’t need (in your home, in your thoughts, in your schedule) to make room for the life you want to live.
Designing a simple life means having fewer distractions in your life, so you can focus on what matters. It’s about saying no to everything that gets in the way, but saying yes to what’s right for you.
It means having more of some things: more time, more energy, more space, more flex in your budget, more peace of mind. It means having less of others: less distractions, less frustration, less clutter, less drain on your resources.
Two interesting sites about minimalism are No Sidebar – Design a simple life by Brian Gardiner (has a free weekly newsletter) and Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker.
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.
Your teacup is full (Empty your cup)
Beginner’s Mind
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
I have bought Zen Brush and I really enjoy it.
Enjoy performing zen art on your iPad or iPhone.
Zen Brush is an app that allows you to easily enjoy the feeling of using an ink brush to write or to paint. It allows anyone to easily perform fluent strokes while not compromising on the fascinating texture of a real ink brush. Create works that radiate the right atmosphere by choosing the best background template from our large collection. You can even post your works easily on twitter.
So far what I do is more like doodle with a brush but it’s fascinating. It’s mindfulness, full focus on what you are doing, and work as a tool for meditation too. Since it’s digital it’s easy to erase and start over again. I practice with my non-dominant hand too, it’s good to use both hands.
Dayne Herren over at TheHappySelf.com has released a free eBook titled Living Naked: Personal Transformation Through Bare Simplicity.
“Living Naked” is a philosophy of living that strips down living to reveal our natural state of happiness. It is about “getting naked” or simply, back to the basics of BEING. The aim of this philosophy is invigorate your life, your senses, and most of all…your GENUINE and NATURAL HAPPINESS. Living naked is living naturally mentally and physically to unleash your inner joy and happiness.
It’s a nicely formated 40-page eBook that gives good advice on simplifying life. The book has eleven short chapters covering topics such as:
• Strip away life-added toxicity.
• Bring forth clarity to the mind.
• Listen to your internal navigation. Feel. Follow its lead.
• Inject your personal passions.
• Succeed at failing.
• Live happy and be content.
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