Zen And The Concept Of Beginner’s Mind
Progressing from the subjective to the objective in the creation of transformational fellowship.
Beginner’s mind” refers to one having an attitude of openness, eagerness, a lack of preconceptions when exploring a subject — even when studying it at an advanced level. How you choose to think, speak, and act, can influence whether you will flow in the harmonious state of “Beginners Mind” or become a prisoner of “Monkey Mind” — a state of constant mental distraction filled with anxiety, suffering, and confusion.
All humans use combinations of words or non-verbal signals which we call language. We use language to communicate needs, define ideas, create and build relationships, and explore who we are and what we are doing. It is not unreasonable to say that our personal reality is created by the language we use.
To be effective you need solid critical thinking skills and great data. The article below by computer scientist and Facebook executive Julie Zhou will show you how to do both.
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote that the definition of words emerges from daily living, what he called “forms of life” — the culture and society in which they are used. Wittgenstein stressed the social aspects of thought. He wrote that to understand how language works, we have to observe how it functions in a specific social situation. Wittgenstein placed great emphasis on becoming attentive to the social backdrop against which language is understood. For the Wisdom Practitioner in the digital age, this idea is seminal for it shows how important intention is concerning the social network one will choose to become a part of.
If you can’t think as a successful person might, then you will struggle unnecessarily. I was studying Gary Vanerchuck long before I knew about Medium. He really has an understanding of the facts, nuts, and bolts, that lead to wealth and success.
In your meditation practice, called Zazen, you will give significant meaning to things and find yourself influenced by that meaning. If you are not clear of thought, you may find yourself in a language prison of your own creation. Ultimately the escape from this prison is to regain the clarity of thought that arises through regular Wisdom Practice. Through this Practice, the complex becomes simple, and struggle and suffering naturally turn to ease and joy.
“Meditation is a process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are, and of realizing that any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we’re doing. The key is to wake up, to become more alert, more inquisitive and curious about ourselves.”
…………………..Pema Chodron
Takeaway
All human language is symbolic: Concerning the sound of words — their shape when written has no relation to what they actually represent. Once this is understood language becomes a servant rather than a master.
Author: Lewis Harrison is an author, practical philosopher, and seminar leader. He is a creative artist and teaches creativity and innovative thinking to his coaching clients. He is the founder and senior teacher at the Wisdom Path Community, a spiritually-oriented life coaching social network-based Facebook group that focuses on the critical thinking spiritual journey rather than rites, rituals, ceremonies, or dogmatic practices. He is a practitioner of Transmodern Zen
For the skilled critical thinker, success begins with small steps. Below Amardeep Parmar offers 20 realistic micro
“My website is AskLewis.com and I can be emailed directly at LewisCoaches@gmail.com…”
You can read my other Medium.com posts at LewisCoaches@gmailcom
………………………Lewis
Here is a simple introduction to traditional Zen by Darius Foroux
