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Using a Beginner's Mind

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17.03.2026

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"In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind, there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

the singing spring of

will reveal your wholeness.

Beginner’s mind has evolved from the Zen practice of using all our senses to absorb and appreciate the nuances of every moment. Practicing beginner's mind can occur regardless of whether one has been in a similar situation before. It allows for a new, wider perspective of your surroundings that bends or alters time. We all had a moment when, deep in our thoughts, we wondered where the time had gone.

Beginner's mind is more involved with conscious observation in the present. It entails having a peripheral view to simultaneously understand your immediate surroundings. This widening of your perceptual lens allows all that is unique in each context to show its interrelationships. It is a mindful technique to sustain our well-being and to sustain harmony. According to poet David Whyte, it is "...about uncovering the invitational nature of the universe – the way it’s simply waiting for us to wake up into its astonishing beauty and its depths."

Why is time an important factor in this process? It is the vehicle of attaining a beginner's mind when it is not overwhelmed with stressful cultural pressures. However, like most nouns, it has its linguistic constraints: it is static, defined by content, and devoid of context.

Yet, treating time as a verb alters its definition and usage. "Timing," for instance, the verb form of........

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