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not want to talk about Chinese Zen or the history of Zen. I am
interested in helping you keep your practice from becoming impure.
In Japan we have the phrase “shoshin,” which means “beginner’s mind.”
The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner’s mind. Suppose you
recite the Prajna Paramita Sutra only once. It might be a very good
recitation. But what would happen to you if you recited it twice, three
times, four times, or more? You might easily lose your original
attitude towards it. The same thing will happen in your other Zen
practices. For a while you will keep your beginner’s mind, but if you
continue to practice one, two, three years or more, although you may
improve some, you are liable to lose the limitless meaning of original
mind.
For Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic. Our
“original mind” includes everything within itself. It is always rich
and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient
state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty
mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for
anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are
many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.
If you discriminate too much, you limit yourself. If you are too
demanding or too greedy, your mind is not rich and self-sufficient. If
we lose our original self-sufficient mind, we will lose all precepts.
When you mind is demanding, when you long for something, you will end up
violating your own precepts: not to tell lies, not to steal, not to
kill, not to be immoral, and so forth. If you keep your original mind,
the precepts will keep themselves.
In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, “I have attained
something.” All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we
have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true
beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner’s mind is
the mind of compassion. Then our mind is compassionate, it is
boundless. Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized
how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. Then we are
always true to ourselves, in sympathy with all beings, and can actually
practice.
So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner’s mind.
There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you
read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh
mind. You should not say, “I know what Zen is, “ or “I have attained
enlightenment.” This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a
beginner. Be very very careful about this point. If you start to
practice zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner’s mind. It
is the secret of Zen practice.
From: Shunryu Suzuki (1970): “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks
on Zen Meditation and Practice.” Weatherhill: New York, 138 pages (pp
21-22).
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