Beginners Mind - A Series On The Attitudes Of Mindfulness (Week 5)

This is week 5 out of the series on the attitudes of mindfulness. This week we look at the Beginners' Mind. Young children look at everything with fresh eyes and with awe and wonder; it is a beautiful thing. We lose this as we get older. We have so many experiences that we begin to think that we know exactly what things are; this tastes like this, that smells like that, this is called this, and that sound is that. This meditation tries to regain that beautiful innocence again.

Transcript

As we become adults,

We have generally experienced lots of things and so we tend to think we know a lot and we have assumptions about what we think everything will be like.

For example,

We know what this will taste like and we know what that will smell like and so we take things for granted and we lose a sense of awe and wonder out of our everyday experiences.

I have an old photo of my daughter when she was about three years old.

She is examining a dandelion clock.

She is mesmerised by it,

In awe of it.

It is the most interesting thing she has ever seen,

At least for the next few seconds until she finds something else.

But for that moment,

She is lost.

That photograph is precious,

As was that experience for her.

Think for a moment how many times you may have walked or driven past a tree or a flower or a view and just not seen it.

Or how many times you have eaten or drank something and just not tasted it.

That is because most of our lives can be spent on autopilot.

We are just switched on to doing what needs doing but we are not really seeing or experiencing what is right in front of us.

My favourite quote about mindfulness is by a Zen master called Sung San.

He says,

When reading,

Only read.

When eating,

Only eat.

When thinking,

Only think.

Autopilot is the opposite of this.

To be able to fully experience what we are doing right in that moment is to fully live our lives.

The next theme of mindfulness that we will look at today is beginner's mind or don't know mind.

This means to experience whatever you are doing as if you have never experienced it before,

With new and fresh eyes,

Like a child seeing something for the first time,

Like smelling or seeing or tasting for the very first time.

It is letting go of any judgement,

Not expecting anything and being open and curious and allowing a freedom to accept fully your current experience.

It is exciting,

New and awe-inspiring.

There is a story of a man who bought a gold mine.

For several days the folk of his town watched the man walking back to his home with heavy bags but with his head down and a sullen face.

One day his neighbour asked him,

What is wrong with you?

You come home every day with your bags laid down but yet you look so fed up.

You should be dancing your way home.

You will be the richest man in the town.

I doubt that,

He replied.

Look at this.

He pulled out some dark rocks from his bag to show his neighbour.

This is all there is.

Rocks.

Brown and green,

Dirty rocks.

I have bought a pile of rubbish.

I have been duped.

The neighbour looked from the rocks to the man and back to the rocks.

I feel bad for you.

Let me take the mine from you.

You can go back to your home town,

Back to your wife and family.

Cut your losses.

I will buy the mine from you.

But at half the price you paid because,

Well you never know,

I might find gold,

I might not.

The man looked at him and pondered his offer.

OK,

I'll take it,

He said.

The deal was then struck,

Money exchanged,

And the bags of rocks which he had brought home were given to the neighbour as part of the deal.

As soon as the man got on his horse to head and back to his wife and family,

The neighbour danced for joy in the street.

He would be the wealthiest man in the whole town.

What the first man didn't realise was that the rocks he had found were actually gold ore,

And the gold was underneath the dark granite and the quartz rock.

That this needed hammering out and then soaked in an acid bath to get the precious metals out.

Indeed,

The neighbour became incredibly rich.

Unfortunately for the man,

He had an expert mind.

He thought he knew what to look for.

Gold pieces,

Gold flakes,

Gold nuggets,

Anything that actually looked like gold.

But he was wrong,

And it cost him dearly.

George Gann says,

What we know gets in the way of what we need to learn.

The Japanese call the beginner's mind Shoushin,

Which literally translates to initial mind,

And refers to innocence or inexperience.

But what's the point of all this?

Well,

There are benefits.

You become more creative and life will seem more fun.

It opens you up to a sense of wonder and beauty,

Which in turn enhances gratitude.

It also helps you to fully embrace this wonderful gift of life we have been given,

And to love each part of it,

Rather than to just go through the motions of each day.

In turn,

Our attitude becomes positive and life feels good.

So let us begin where you are right now.

Allow yourself to get comfortable and keep your eyes open.

Look straight ahead and look at what is in front of you,

Whatever that is.

Try not to move your eyes around too much,

But just take in what is right in front of you.

You might notice a tendency to label everything.

For example,

I am looking out of my window.

My initial tendency is to name all things,

Trees,

Leaves,

Cars,

Buildings,

Etc.

That is okay,

But that is not the beginner's mind.

And what generally happens is your mind starts to build stories around those labels.

For example,

My neighbour is still home.

Why haven't they gone to work?

I like the sound of blackbirds.

I don't like the sound of crows.

So I have got into thinking and judging.

So now look again at the same spot and try not to name anything or to get caught up in thinking.

Just try and notice what is right in front of you.

Allow any sounds to come to you without labelling them,

Just noticing them.

Notice any marks on the walls without thinking how they got there or what you need to do about them.

Notice any dust anywhere.

Just see it.

You might find that you see more than you initially saw.

You might not.

Let's now notice what is going on inside you.

Close your eyes if you wish.

Let us begin with what is really happening for us physically.

What do you notice right now?

Again,

Try not to decide whether this is good or bad,

But just see what is there in the body.

Scan the body and notice if there is any tension anywhere.

Bring your attention to the face,

The eyes,

The mouth,

The jaws,

The forehead,

The neck,

The shoulders,

The back.

You are just noticing,

Just seeing.

And now notice what is going on for you mentally right now.

How is your mind feeling?

Try not to make a judgement about whether that is good or bad.

Just see it.

And now your emotions.

Notice your emotional state.

Notice if you have attached any stories to this state.

If you noticed you were feeling agitated,

Did your mind attach a story to that?

A reason?

If you noticed you were feeling relaxed,

Is there a tendency to think you need to do more of something to keep that feeling?

Try to just notice what is there for you right now.

And now fully see all these things,

Your physical,

Mental and emotional state.

What is there for you?

Can you see this as a sacred sense of inner discovery?

If you notice your mind has begun to be involved and starting to chatter,

Just acknowledge this and move back to your inner journey of just noticing fully what is there for you physically,

Mentally and emotionally.

Really seeing,

Really experiencing whatever comes up for you.

Satsangriedaon Galeep RESkarGata And now bring your attention back to your senses.

Notice any sounds that are around you.

Notice the parts of your body in contact with the ground or the seat.

Bringing awareness to the space around you,

Exactly where you are right now and just be here.

Enjoy where you are right now,

Really be here.

One of the ways to practice this beginner's mind is to mindfully do a task that you regularly do,

For example going out for a walk.

The next time you walk,

Really open your eyes and see what is around you.

Open your ears to the sounds around you,

Without judgement and with curiosity and openness.

Or take a shower or a bath and notice how the water feels on your skin,

The warmth or the coolness.

When you get into bed,

Notice how the sheets feel against your feet.

And especially eating,

We sometimes eat our food without even tasting it,

So I encourage you to eat something mindfully and with Shou Shin,

Innocence,

Inexperience,

As if for the very first time.

Really taste,

Really chew,

Really notice that piece of food.

You will have a whole new and beautiful experience.

And now wriggle your fingers and toes and really feel this.

Move your head slowly and carefully from side to side and really notice what is there for you.

When you are ready,

Open your eyes and again notice what is in front of you,

Without labels or opinions.

Just see,

Just experience.

I encourage you to try to do at least one thing each day with the beginners mind,

But remember this is a practice so you might not get anything straight away,

But keep going.

It is definitely worth it.

Thank you.

Reviews

Beautiful, thank you!

Beautiful! Important Reminders in here.. lovely voice too!

Great!

Another wonderful reminder. Thanks!

Thank you for Shoshin! 🌱

Excellent points. 💜

Thank you. One of my favorite practices!!