Taking A Fresh Look at 2021
By Jen Rose Smith, CNN
(Excerpt from CNN.com article on January 11, 2021)
Learning new skills is a hot topic amid an ongoing pandemic. The advantages of getting a renewed perspective, though, are timeless.
The idea of a beginner’s mindset is central to Zen Buddhism — practitioners use the Japanese term shoshin, which translates to “beginner’s mind” in English. It’s an ancient concept that hints at the very benefits Vanderbilt pointed to in his book. “The beginner’s mind has curiosity, it has no experience, it has purity,” said Jakusho Kwong-roshi, the 85-year-old abbot of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center in California. “In Zen, that’s treasure.”
Kwong-roshi pointed to the 1970 book “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shunryū Suzuki, which explains that a beginner’s mind isn’t about being an actual beginner. Instead, it’s a perspective you can strive for over the course of a lifetime. Even small, daily actions can go a long way toward refreshing your mindset and getting a new perspective on life, Kwong-roshi said. He recommended taking a few minutes twice a day to just sit quietly: first thing in the morning, and before you go to bed. Get comfortable in a cross-legged position, on your knees or in a chair, he said. The important thing is to feel stable and upright, so you can focus on your breath, starting with the exhalation. If it helps, Kwong-roshi said you can count slow breaths, numbering each exhalation from one to 10. (Kwong-roshi also invited would-be meditators interested in cultivating a “beginner's mind” to join the monastery's daily meditations by Zoom.)
Of course, a change in mindset won’t erase the terrible damage the pandemic has inflicted on communities across the globe. This is hard no matter what, especially if you've lost a loved one or gotten sick yourself, and the fallout will continue for years. But studies have shown that perspective and mindset are powerful factors in how we cope with the challenges we do face. Whether you’re meditating with Zen monks or enrolling in dance classes, a new skill could be key to a badly needed mental tune-up. And despite all the loss we’ve faced, the pandemic offers real opportunities for prospective students. The availability of online resources has vastly increased since the beginning of 2020, and many online classes provide the chance to set your own pace of learning. It's an invitation to grow — and it's never too late to start.
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