Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. The beginner’s mind is the mind of compassion. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. In the beginner’s mind there is no thought “I have attained something.” All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities in the expert’s mind there are few. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything it is open to everything. This doesn’t mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. Our “original mind” includes everything within itself. For a while you will keep your beginner’s mind, but if you continue to practice one, two, three years or more, although you may improve some, you are liable to lose the limitless meaning of original mind.įor Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic.

The same thing will happen in your other Zen practices.

But what would happen to you if you recited it twice, three times, four times or more? You might easily lose your original attitude towards it. Suppose you recite the Prajna Paramita Sutra only once. In Japan we have the phrase shoshin, which means “beginner’s mind.” The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner’s mind. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross-legged position, or to attain enlightenment. People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki