Beginner’s Mind

Our worship today is inspired by shoshin, a concept from Zen Buddhism, made popular outside of Japan by Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971), the Zen monk and teacher who founded the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia. Shoshin means “beginner’s mind” and it encourages us to approach our undertakings with the same openness and enthusiasm that a beginner would, even if we have been at it – whatever it is – for ages. What happens when we stop expecting perfection and instead start hoping for discovery?