My Marine Biology teacher in high school was sooooo excited about marine science that some students went on to study biology just because of his enthusiasm! He was happy, light, and joyful about all the details of crabs, seaweed and salt water.
He was an expert at the world of marine biology, but he LOVED hanging out with us beginners. He was an expert at teaching, at engaging with teenagers. For many students it became their favorite class.
So many of us have heard the concept “Beginner’s Mind”. It’s popular amongst the meditators and students of the human condition in various modalities.
Beginner’s Mind, or Sho Shin, is a term used in zen tradition. The teacher Shunryu Suzuki wrote a book called Zen Mind, Beginners Mind in 1973.
People who have never even heard of zen often get very drawn to the thought that being at the beginning….having a mind that is innocent, open, fresh, new, and has no answers…is an exciting, empty, sweet place to be.
It’s like the fun part of being at the beginning of a journey, sending out the invitations to a party, starting from scratch, the first day of a brand new job, flirting with a new love interest, having an empty canvas before you, moving into your new home, taking a bite of a food you’ve never heard of before, getting a great new idea……the moment before any danger or trouble existed, yet.
The first day of the journey out of The Shire! The bags are packed, there is plenty of food and provisions, no one has been stabbed yet with a sharp object.
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Oh. But wait, that’s a problem. I don’t want ALL things to be possible, I want to avoid bad things and I want to not go through hell and I want to never suffer. Please.
I think I will study, study, study and become an expert. So I can get to where I want, have what I want, not feel pain, and have things be easier.
Sometimes, thoughts about being at the beginning are very painful. Filled with great discouragement.
The reason people are invited in zen to return to Beginner’s Mind is because that Expert place sometimes creates blind spots, forgetfulness of what it used to be like….it creates a tendency to be a Know-It-All.
The down side of expertise is that when someone gets really knowledgeable about a topic, or condition, or the way-things-are….they can appear puffed up, bossy, parental.
Experts can be full of giving advice, telling people what or how to do it, opinionated, judgmental, anxious, pushy, and frustrated with all the people out there who should know more, know better.
But my high school teacher wasn’t like that. He was so HAPPY and had so much humor about his special topic Marine Biology.
He loved it when students asked questions. “I’m so glad you asked!” he would yell with a huge smile on his face. And we would all laugh.
Since I teach classes in this process called The Work, which is profound, simple, yet very deep, I make contact with Beginners all the time who may have never even heard of The Work.
I always like to say, The Work is simple, but not so easy. And actually, not that simple!
You may have noticed.
Byron Katie herself says, “that’s why it’s called The Work”.
The thing is, to enjoy this moment where I am about to embark on something new, where I know nothing, is NOT exactly appealing if I believe it’s too much work, or I can’t do it, I don’t get it, or it will take to freakin’ long to get there.
The down side of being a beginner in something can be very stressful. Even with The Work. People new to questioning their thinking may have thoughts like this:
- why are other people so enamored with this method?
- this is too cognitive, I learn kinesthetically so this isn’t for me
- my mind is driving me nuts with so much thinking, and it’s only made WORSE by answering these four questions
- I can’t identify any single thoughts that bother me
- I hate writing things down
- this takes too long and it’s boring
- I have a good story and surely you agree with me that it sucks
- this work is waaaaaay too negative, jeez!
- just questioning thoughts won’t change ANYTHING
The thing is, no one has to do The Work, or any other method of inquiry about life. No one has to follow any programs, study, practice, or learn. It’s maybe weird that there are no requirements at all to life, but there are not.
No Requirements.
No one has to like Marine Biology.
If someone is not understanding The Work and you think they SHOULD understand The Work, and they should DO The Work….then it’s time for YOU to do The Work.
What if my high school teacher was angry at the students who weren’t really into it? What if he had the idea that some students are too hostile, dumb, close-minded, or rude? What if he thought it was so dull and worthless to hang out with beginner students?
But he didn’t. We could all feel it. He LOVED teaching us.
When becoming a so-called Expert is done because we are so thrilled, excited, engaged, and full of love about the topic….wow, then in that mode, it’s amazing to be a student of the thing we’re becoming an Expert about.
Doing The Work, I have found I love studying my mind, other peoples’ minds, the human mind, the human condition. The path keeps unfolding. Always something new to learn.
If I hear someone talking about The Work or self-inquiry and how disturbing it is for them or how they don’t understand it, I can turn toward them or away from them. Open or closed.
I know which one feels better.
“How can I not be available to anyone who asks for help? I love people just the way they are, whether they see themselves as saints or sinners. I know that each of us is beyond categories, unfathomable. It’s not possible to reject people unless you believe your story about them.”~Byron Katie
I notice the energy of “rejection” sometimes appears. I will think “that expert doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about!” or “that beginner doesn’t know anything! I wish they did!”
And then I feel that energy that is interested in rejecting that person or situation, and I know to ask “Is It True?”
That person should be different than they are…in a different place, farther down the path, closer to the beginning…… Really? Are you sure?
Who would I be without the thought that they shouldn’t be saying that, acting that way, thinking those thoughts, feeling those feelings?
I would watch, wait, and be very still.
“By watching the mind, you will notice that it is engaged in the process of trying to make everything okay…..When you see the mind telling you how to fix the world and everyone in it in order to suit yourself, just don’t listen.”~Michael Singer in The Untethered Soul
All those thoughts that new people express that are so honest and real, especially where they say they don’t understand what it means to question the mind….I remember not getting it either.
I don’t actually even get it now, entirely. But the difference is, it is no longer frightening. Exploring when and where I feel against something is absolutely fascinating.
Not understanding this mind, my thinking, or exactly what’s going on when I question my thoughts is even fun a lot of the time.
“Anyone in harmony with what is has no past to project as a future, so there’s nothing she expects. Whatever appears is always fresh, brilliant, surprising, obvious, and exactly what she needs…..For her, everything is new. She has never seen it before….She doesn’t expect results, because she has no future.”~Byron Katie
I notice I’m excited about the raw, blunt, direct beginner. The one with awesome questions, and defense, irritation. She finds this whole inquiry thing “lame”.
I remember thinking that, too. We’re on the same page.
And I notice I LOVE questioning my thoughts, and this seems to have been going on for about a decade now, if you believe in time.
I didn’t study more marine biology after high school….and I can guarantee you that my teacher is not upset about this. I once ran into him when I had growing children myself, and he turned out to be retired.
He said “call me any time and I’ll do a teaching walk on the beach for everyone in your entire family!” Just because he loves it.
Love, Grace
P.S. Room for one more person in tomorrow’s teleclass on questioning all our thoughts about money and work: how to earn it, get it, receive it…what our thoughts are about work, jobs, our businesses, marketing, announcing, making contact with others, charging, the people who bug us the most. It’s a blast to arrive back at Beginner’s Mind with Money and Work. ALL THINGS BECOME POSSIBLE! Click below to register.
Click here to register for any of these classes online. You can also send an email to grace@workwithgrace.com if you’d prefer to mail a check or want to ask questions.
- Earning Money: What’s Your Problem? Questioning Your Beliefs About Money, Work and Business. Mondays, February 4-April 1, 2013, 7:30 – 9:00 am Pacific time. 8 weeks $395. No class March 4th.
- Turning Relationship Hell To Heaven: Working With Painful Hate, Anger, Fury, Despair, Grief, or Disappointment With Someone You Know; Spouse, Mother, Sibling, Father, Daughter, Son, Boss, Neighbor, Friend. Fridays, March 29-May 17, 2013 8:00 am – 9:30 am Pacific time. 8 weeks $395.