Beginner's Mind
"In the Beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few"
In his book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki explains why it is important to keep a beginner's mind in meditation.
"People say that practicing zen (meditation) is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross-legged position, or to attain enlightenment (understanding or insight) It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense."
For meditation students is it important to keep an open mind, a ready mind, a mind empty of preconceived ideas. Always to be ready for anything, without expectations of anything specific that "should" happen. It is important not to expect any result - no expectation of relaxation, no expectation of an empty mind, not expecting less thoughts, less thinking. If you expect too much, you limit yourself and your experience. If you are too demanding or too greedy in your meditation, your practice is not pure.
We should not have the thought: "I should attain something." All self-centred thoughts like this limit our vast mind and experience. When we have no thought of attainment, not thought of self, we are true beginners. The true beginners mind is a mind of compassion. If we are always true to ourselves, in sympathy with all beings, we can actually practice.
So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen (meditation) Even though you may read much about Zen or meditation literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say: "I know what Zen is" or "I know all about meditation and I understand Mindfulness."
This is also the secret of the arts. I think it is the secret to all facets of our life, actually. Always be a beginner. Always see things through a beginner's eyes. Suzuki says: "Be very, very careful about this point. If you start to practice [mindfulness or meditation or] Zen, you will begin to appreciate the beginner's mind." It is the secret of Zen / Meditation / Mindfulness practice.
(paraphrased from Shunryu Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind")
