In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Prologue (1970)
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- Assembled from talks Suzuki gave in California through the 1960s, published in 1970.
- Why
- Suzuki was teaching Americans new to zazen, many of whom wanted to get good at it quickly.
What it means
Suzuki is describing a real asymmetry, not praising naivety. Expertise works by pruning: it narrows the field to what has proven useful, which is what makes it fast.
The cost is that the pruned options stop being visible. His instruction to students was to keep the beginner's field open on purpose, because it does not stay open by itself.
Read the source
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, 1970
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Your turn
What does this bring up for you?
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