Summary | Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970)

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (1970)

What is this about? Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970) by Shunryu Suzuki (http://shunryusuzuki2.com​) converted from Zen master Suzuki's talks when teaching Zen Buddhism. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Zen Buddhism and Zen practices. 

Why bother? From the book, we can learn what Zen is through in-depth introspections and how to practice Zen from the detailed basics like posture and breathing. The recommendation to read the book post this summary is 4.5. 

Key Ideas The key ideas reside in what zen is and how to practice zen. 

What is Zen? Zen means a lot of things. I will use some quotes from the book to summarize the fundamentals.  

• Independence: When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, at the same time, dependent on everything. 
• Purity: The essence of our mind is pure like clear water with a few waves. Water always has waves. Waves are a practice of water. A mind with waves is not a disturbed mind but actually an amplified one. Our attitude toward life will be different according to our understanding of life. After we understand the innate mind's power to purify ourselves and our surroundings, we can act appropriately, learn from those around us, and become friends with others. 
• Control without control: We need to see things as they are, observe them as they are, and let everything go as it goes. 

How to practice Zen? We can practice zen by concentrating on our breathing with right posture, with great, pure efforts, but without any purpose.

​The book tells us to keep a "Beginner's Mind" (Shoshin 初心). It's a Zen mind ready to accept, doubt, connect and open to limitless possibilities. It's a mind with no thought of self, free of the habits of the expert, and surrendering oneself to the universe.

Favorite Quotes

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“Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.” 
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice