A beginner's mindset - Zen

      There say "When life gives you lemon, make a lemonade out of it". Most of us suffer in life due to the high expectations of ourselves or trying to match the expectations set by your surrounding people.  What if there is an alternative to this? Wouldn't it be just great to embrace it.

    Nature has a solution to every problem we face. Its just that while growing up, we (humans) lose the sense of observation. Look at the tree and the Sun. Tree gives shelter to everyone, no bias even if he is a criminal. Sun shines every morning and doesn't take a holiday to rest. A flower blooms and doesn't worry if the next one is brighter or bigger than itself. Its obvious that Mother Nature has a lot to offer. Its just our limitation of mind that is hold us back to learn from it.

Photo courtesy- internet 

    Aren't we entangled a lot in the mess created by ourselves? We tend to fall in to our own trap and live a miserable life. For instance, Corona virus is a lab simulated virus created thru human experimentation and we are suffering from our own creation, isn't it? 

     Okay...let me put on a solution hat now. Zen gives us a way to open up and have an attitude of beginner's mind. Don't you think having a beginner's mind has numerous possibilities when compared to the expert mind which limits it? This attitude of openness helps us become more creative. Its like being a child again who can accept anything.   In Japanese a term called 'Mushin' means having no mind. It simply means a mind without thoughts, emotions or just be.  This is practiced even by Martial artists and zen meditators. 

     It just helps if we stop competing against each other and look at how to compete with ourselves. Its a way better to improve on ourselves from what we were yesterday than to compete with others. Maybe that attitude would be the key take away from eastern spiritual practices.

    Let us start fresh...be a beginner again!