The Natural Power Of The Beginner's Mind
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” [1] In the book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" Shunryu Suzuki talks about the practice of Zen and how it relates to one's true self and the natural way to live. He said that in order to practice true zazen one should not practice with the aim of gaining something special. "It is our human nature to be active and the nature of every existence. As long as we are alive, we are always doing something. But as long as you think, “I am doing this,” or “I have to do this,” or “I must attain something special,” you are actually not doing anything.” [2] This is quite similar to the more modern approach of Zen-Buddhism called mindfulness and connects also very well to stoicism . Which got me thinking, that indeed thinking IS thinking and doing IS doing. So do we in everyday reality actually confuse these processes? Is it so, that we often don't move in the desired directi...