27/08/2020
Shoshin
In Japanese Zen there is a term, shoshin, that translates as ‘beginner’s mind’. It is a way of seeking to see the world without all of the prior beliefs that we accumulate through our lifetimes. It is a rare, but priceless, way to cultivate our minds and I wish to share how I have come to understand this ancient wisdom.
It starts with an explanation of belief. What does it mean for our minds to believe that something is true? I invite you to consider that it is the feeling that comes along with the thought, or the idea of something, that generates the belief that something is correct. For instance, if you are frightened of spiders, it is the feeling of fear that generates your belief that the spider you see, or think about, is dangerous. If you see something beautiful, it is the feeling that tells you that this is so. If you hear an argument that you disagree with, it is the feeling that lets you know whether you should believe it is right or wrong. Even if we are seeking to be completely rational, it is the feeling that is generated by each possible solution that guides us towards what we believe, or feel, is correct.
From the moment we are born, and probably before, our minds collect and store our beliefs about everything and it is only through these beliefs that we can understand the world around us. As we see and hear things happening in our lives, we are constantly comparing what we see with our set of accumulated beliefs. As a result, we feel that things are safe, correct and as they should be, or wrong, unsafe, and not as we wish them to be. You know how it feels to be safe, and how it feels when things are wrong. Hopefully, if you have been following this explanation so far, you are feeling that this makes sense, that this does not clash with your prior beliefs. This is the only way our minds can work.
The risk is that the more we think we understand the world, the more certain we feel that our set of beliefs are the correct ones. Normally this is not a problem, we can carrying on with our lives and do what we need to do. But these beliefs can also become a hindrance to healthy living. For instance, if we have a phobia, it is the feeling, the belief, that something is wrong or dangerous that can become a serious problem if the object of the fear is not really dangerous. If our minds repetitively imagine an awful situation from the past, it can generate a severe anxiety or fear associated with our belief about what occurred, even though the current moment is safe. Take a moment now to imagine pleasant and not so pleasant things in the world, or that have happened to you during your lifetime. It is your belief about them that generates how you feel from moment to moment, whether it is joy, pleasure, guilt, regret, anxiety, and so on. Once such a belief is embedded, it can be very hard to replace it with a more appropriate, healthier belief, if that would be of benefit.
So, cultivating a beginner’s mind, shoshin, is about firstly accepting that our minds can only see the world through our beliefs, and that we should challenge these beliefs, these certainties, to try and see if they can be replaced by better beliefs. This takes a huge amount of humility, as we really do not wish to feel we have it wrong! But we very often are. A beginner’s mind is about trying to see the world as clearly as we can, as if we are just beginning to understand something new. This requires us to see and understand every perspective we can imagine. To examine the evidence for ourselves and not simply follow another because we have believed other things that they have spoken. To use our own minds.
This is hard and requires regular attention. To Catch what we are thinking and feeling, to be Curious about what is really going on, to Create different solutions rather than simply doing/thinking what we always do and to always act with Compassion. We call this the 4Cs of skilful thinking and, handily, has shoshin built in.
