“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” Shunryu Suzuki
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus
Two weeks ago we began examining Thomas Sterner’s book, The Practicing Mind. We focused on the Do, Observe, Correct process. Sterner’s study of eastern philosophy exposed a key cultural difference between the west and the east. In the west we focus almost exclusively on the end result (i.e. the product) as opposed to the process required to achieve the end result. In eastern culture focusing on the process is preferred since this is within our control and often repeatable (i.e. practicable…is that a word?).
Achieving the end result is a natural outcome of executing a process successfully. Sterner, recalled a lesson from his piano teacher. She told him that practice enables you to ensure that on your worst day, your playing will be acceptable. I love this concept, but what’s the best way to practice? In this week’s post, let’s examine the concept of “the Beginner’s Mind” which Sterner suggest will enhance our ‘practicing’.
“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.” Wikipedia
Dr. Peter Kaufman’s practical advice to college freshman is a great example of how to successfully use the beginner’s mind principle. He advises the students to adopt a beginner’s mindset to reach their internally set objectives. His three questions are great for self-analysis.
Until next week,