Shoshin

For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

--T.S. Eliot

There is a way of being and thinking in Zen Buddhism known as Shoshin or Beginner's Mind: A ready mind. Boundless. Always a beginner, that kind of mind not already made up, investigating, open to whatever occurs, curious. Seeking but not with expectation. Observing. Being ready for what arises in this moment.

It also suggests a kind of intimacy, an intimacy with oneself. According to Zen practice, each one of us has the nature of awakening. Beginner's Mind is about a kind of amazement, letting the fixed view go. To not know.

Of all of the suggested meanings for Shoshin, I am especially drawn to wholeheartedness. And boundless.

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.

--Shunryu Suzuki

Shunryu Suzuki (1905-1971) was a direct spiritual descendant of the renowned 13th-century Zen master Dogen. His hugely influential Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind ranks with the great classics of Zen literature. Learn more about these ideas and practices by clicking on the title of book for a reading from it.