I remember my old Master once sharing a story about his training, that after he earned his brown belt, he was stripped of it and given a beginners rank. Most students today would leave a school if that happened to them, but for my Master, it was a test of the ego and all a part of the training process.
My Master would often say to value what you know, but at the same time, put it aside, because it will only hold you back in your training. This is the meaning of the term ‘beginners mind’.
To leave behind everything you know, so that new information and concepts can enter your mind without clinging to images, ideas, and associations, is no easy task. It takes a balance of an open mind and a skeptical mind to create an honest beginners mind.
There is an exercise our Master would take us through, where we would sit down in front of him on the floor with a low table. On the table was a glass of tea, and a glass of water. The tea represented the students knowledge. It was good, but if the student wanted to drink the water in it’s purity, he must first empty his cup.
This was the lesson of beginner’s mind. It meant to empty your mind of all preconceived notions about the training, what was to be taught, what was to be learned, at what pace the training would evolve, which questions should be asked, and at what time questions would be answered. The beginner’s mind implied that the student must trust to his Master the process of training laid out before him.
I came across this myself. I had to let go a little and trust in my Master. I did this because I was able to follow my gut and I had the feeling he was sincere and had my best interests in mind.
Learning new things, I was sometimes apprehensive. For example, when he introduced me to meditation I wasn’t sure what it was. I didn’t want to get caught up in some weird religious cult. My approach was to be skeptical and open-minded at the same time. My Master even brought up to me that to be skeptical was totally natural and even preferred. ”When someone isn’t a bit skeptical, that’s the time to be worried!”, he would say.
What happened to a student who couldn’t ‘empty his cup’?
From what I observed, that type of student wouldn’t last.
To always be a beginner is what I strive for myself these days. The older and more experienced I get, the more difficult it gets. I have to remind myself to let go of what I know, and to let go of what I think I know.
Someone said something that reminded me to put my ego aside and strive for beginners mind last week in my BJJ class. One of the other white belts noticed my belt had come untied during sparring and offered to help me learn how to tie my belt. Of course he had no idea I’m a 2nd degree Black Belt and have tied a belt thousands of times. Honestly, to my “little me” ego, it felt like an insult. But that’s just how it hit me, and I was aware of why, and because of my awareness I was able to respond with a “Thank-you” and feel grateful towards my fellow white belt for offering me the help.
Beginners mind can be used as a tool in life at work, at home, in relationship, in training. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that it’s the beginner’s mind that learns the fastest, stays fresh and new, and never gets stagnant.
