 One
of the most profound secrets of learning anything new is keeping what has
been called a "Beginner's Mind".
What is Beginner's
Mind? Well part of it is described very well by the famous Zen story known
as:
Empty Your Cup
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."
So to begin,
we must all empty our cups of all the preconceived ideas, concepts, techniques
and methods that prevent us from receiving the new. This seems like a simple
thing to do, but can be quite difficult in practice. At first we think
we are emptying our cups but as we drink from the new knowledge we detect
residual tastes of the "old". Sometimes this new mixture can be sweet,
like adding honey to tea, but sometimes even a little residue can curdle
the whole mix, like adding lemon juice to milk. We must not only empty
our cups, but make sure we have a "clean receptacle" so we may taste the
"true essence" of the new knowledge.
Another important
part of developing the beginners mind concerns getting rid of the "Been
There, Done That" concept that seems so prevalent in today's society. It
may be true that you have been there, and you may have done that, but perhaps
your conception of reality was not the whole concept, "the big picture"
if you will. Here is a poetic version of another famous story that may
help us in our quest for understanding the beginner's mind.
The Essence of an Elephant
It was
six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy
his mind.
The First
approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy
side, At once began to bawl: "God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like
a wall!"
The Second,
feeling of the tusk Cried, "Ho! what have we here, So very round and smooth
and sharp? To me `tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like
a spear!"
The Third
approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within
his hands, Thus boldly up he spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is
very like a snake!"
The Fourth
reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee: "What most this wondrous
beast is like Is mighty plain," quoth he; "'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth,
who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what
this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth
no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging
tail That fell within his scope. "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very
like a rope!"
And so
these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding
stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in
the wrong!
-John
Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887).
This story
is full of insight, what if the above happened to One blind man on six
different occasions? Each time his concept of an elephant would change,
grow and be enhanced. Yet he still would have more to learn about the true
essence of an elephant. But if our hypothetical blind man stopped after
the first visit, "Been there - Done that", his concept would be stuck at
a lower level of understanding. He would miss out on the "Big Picture".
I will touch
on one final element of developing the "Beginner's Mind" and that is a
developing a sense of awe, a feeling of excitement and wonder when approaching
or re-approaching a subject of investigation. That you can learn something
new even if it is a subject you have already explored. That if you keep
looking your bound to see something new, this in itself can be very exciting,
wonderful, and awesome.
There is a
lot more to discover about the Beginner's Mind but I will have to return
to this "elephant" in the future because my cup is full, and I prefer to
empty it by drinking deeply, and savoring its wonderful taste.
In closing
I would like to leave you with a quote from Grandmaster James Lacy: "The
simplest is the most profound."
-The Neophyte.
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