Beginners’ Mind

I started meditating back in the late 1990s. As is often the case, a life circumstance that broke my heart was the catalyst. I was in a deep emotional pain then to the point of depression. It was a friend of mine, who had been practicing Vipassana meditation, that introducing me to the mindful meditation. He took me to listen to a teacher, Shinzen Young, who was the only Vipassana teacher in L.A. then and showed me how to stay with the undulating feelings moment by moment.

Because that was my introduction to the meditation practice, Vipassana was the tradition of Buddhist practice I followed ever since. Early 2000s, a peer-led group started meeting to sit together and study the teachings together in the neighborhood. I started to attend meditation retreats of varied lengths first with Shinzen then with other teachers that emerged. I’ve loved the simplicity of the teachings and deeply appreciated the time to go within to observe how my mind works.

Fast forward to 2023, I must admit I’ve felt like I’ve been in an impasse with my practice for the last few years. I realized there was so much more to Buddhism than Vipassana. Having grown up in a Buddhist country, I was aware of other Buddhist denominations, especially the Soto and Rinzai Zen, although never practiced. I have quite a few friends who practice Zen, ad many of my teachers were originally trained in Zen tradition. I’ve also met people who has been practicing Shin Buddhism (mainly brought to the West by Asian immigrants) and deeply involved in the communities.

I am now curiously exploring if there’s a different traditions of Buddhism that I could practice. Although Buddha’s teachings are still the same, the approaches and some principles can vary quite a bit. So a friend of mine recommended to read, “Beginner’s Mind, Zen Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, which is a book I had read years ago but hardly remembered at this point. It is quite refreshing to be reminded of the beginner’s mind. Just to be present in each moment. So simple. By setting aside whatever I think I know, I can meet each moment with a blank unbiased awareness. Oh, this is what I’d like to do no matter what tradition of meditation I choose to practice. Mindfulness. Moment by Moment…