Beginner's Mind or Comfortably Numb?

A "zen" mind near jhana is clear and pure.

Beginner's Mind (Japanese 初心 or shoshin) is a concept from Zen Buddhism. It means it's better to have an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of expectations or preconceptions when practicing meditation and exploring Dharma. Even at an advanced level, approach Truth as a beginner would.

Beginner's Mind is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts [1]. It became popular outside Japan because of Shunryū Suzuki's book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

Complete Illustrated Guide to Zen

The practice of shoshin acts as a counter to the hubris and closed-mindedness often associated with thinking of oneself as an adept or expert [2].

When we let ourselves think we know everything, we leave no room for surprises, but reality is full of surprises.

For example, in the Einstellung Effect, a person becomes so accustomed to a certain way of doing things that s/he does not consider or acknowledge new ideas or approaches [3], such as thinking outside the box. Like let's say someone asks you, "Who are YOU?"

• 

  One more TikTok, hookup, sext, hit of dopamine

  "I'm me," you say. Then this exchange takes place:
• "You're not who you think you are."
• "I'm who other people think I am."
• "No, you're not even that."
• "But, but, what else is there? If I'm not who I think I am, and I'm not who others think I am, do I just not exist?"
• "No, you are who you think others think you are."
• "Oh, yeah, because we're social creatures, right? There's always that [performative] factor of being watched, even if we only think we're being watched."
• "Something like that."
  
• "Ah, what do you know?"
• "Hey, at least I got you to think outside the box, realize it's not binary -- a this or that, thesis or antithesis. There's often a synthesis, an interaction, a third or fourth option not thought of within the confines of the assumptions surrounding the question."
• "Oh, yeah, huh?"
• "Monkey."

The word shoshin combines sho (Japanese 初, "beginner" or "initial") and shin (Japanese 心, "mind" or "heart") [4], which is not necessarily the brain but the intuition, knowing, heart, or the ability to discern. More

Comfortably numb?

LISTEN: (Angry Samoans) The punk rock classic "Gimme Sopor"

• There are other minds, and the worst of them is the restless Monkey Mind
• Dhr. Seven, Helena, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly