In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
--Shunryu Suzuki's, Zen teacher
When I watch my 17 month-old grandson explore his surroundings, I marvel at his "beginner's mind". He is fascinated by how things are put together and how he can take them apart. His mind already has a decent vocabulary, it's his mouth that hasn't caught up yet.
Do you frequently finish other people's sentences, act like a know it all, spend more time talking than listening? I know I do and I want to return to a more innocent state of mind.
For example, I'm self-employed as a .net programmer. .Net programmers are notorious for over-engineering solutions. Need a simple form on a web site to capture an email address? Hey, in .net it's never that simple (but it could be).
Going back to a beginner's mind keeps you open to simple solutions. It removes preconceived notions. Maybe the next time you search the internet you will use bing or wikipedia instead of google. More importantly, our mind tends to develop interpersonal grooves as we become accustomed to how we deal with people in our lives. We expect conversations and interactions to go a certain way and that expectation almost always guarantees that they will.
How would life change if we faced it with a beginner's mind? When was the last time you kissed your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend like if was the first time? Do you listen to people in awe that you might learn something new from them? Have you done something totally different in your life like signing up for a Tai Chi class?
Keep it green: hang out with beginners. I learn a lot from beginners. It is their questions that give insight into the fundamental nature a problem. When they say, "I hear what you are saying but I just don't get it", I try to lock into this because they are identifying the more difficult parts of the problem. Helping them solve this, helps me to develop a more fundamental understanding of the problem and quite possibly its solution.
Let go of preconceived notions, expectations and prejudices. Have you ever done something a certain way for years only to find out that there was an easier way? "If only I had known that years ago." I am trying, and this is an experiment, to have a beginner's mind in everything that I do. Part of this, for me at least, is to slow down and reflect on tasks before I move forward. Be open to new possibilities and the world will open up.
Ask questions before you know the answers. When you are talking to someone are you formulating your response before they are done talking? Probably means that you are not listening very well.
Cast away fear. As the familiar becomes comfortable, fear becomes more of an obstacle. Embrace change and move to the uncomfortable more often.
With a beginner's mind nothing is impossible. When engineer Michael Pritchard looked at the problem of how to bring water to disaster areas, he started with a beginner's mind and wondered why we should try to bring water into a disaster area when there is already plenty of water there (albeit revolting dirty water). Instead, he invented the Lifesaver filter. This is now available in personal sizes (one liter) and larger, five gallon processing units. Now, clean water is availabe at 1/2 cent per day per person.
How can we learn anything if we know all the answers? This story, found many times on the internet, illustrates this point:
"A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted.
"You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."
