Five Lessons On Life From Zen Buddhist Master Shunryu Suzuki
You yourself make the waves in your mind.
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki
I remember when I was a teenager, I was quite stubborn. In many ways I still am. What makes my current mindset different from that of my old self is the fact that I am actively working on getting rid of this hard headed nature.
I was a basketball player in high school, with delusions of future grandeur. One day the coach tried correcting my shooting stance, yet I ignored the suggestions. I knew better.
The problem was my ego. It prevented me from seeing that I could be wrong. It was only after I started reading books influenced by Taoist and Zen Buddhist thought that I started waking up to all the basic mistakes I was making in my life.
One concept stood out for me. It was “shoshin”, the beginner’s mind. In order to progress you need to get rid of your ego, and start seeing things from the perspective of a beginner. This was a revelation that changed my entire world-view.
One of these life changing, mind blowing books of wisdom is a little book called “Zen Mind…
