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Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind |
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice
By Shunryu Suzuki
This is a delightfully informal book. It flows as a series of loosely
woven themes – transcripts of Suzuki Roshi’s Dharma
talks. He encourages his students in their practice and discusses Zen
in simple and direct language – pointing to the luminous nature
of their ordinary lives. The talks are divided into three larger
sections that correspond to the body, emotion, and mind aspects of Zen
meditation. No talk is longer than three pages, which makes it an
excellent book to read before or after practice.
This book has immense significance for anyone who practices silent
sitting. It is informal – as the nature of mind is informal. It
is simple in the way that a thunderstorm is
simple. ‘Beginner’s mind’ is a phrase that Suzuki
Roshi knew from the work of Dogen Zenji, founder of the Soto school of
Zen. It is essential to Zen and also to Dzogchen sem-dé as taught in Aro. In the Prologue, Suzuki Roshi says:
“Our ‘original mind’ includes everything within
itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself... In the
beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the
expert’s mind there are few.”
This is the essence of silent sitting, and Zen Mind,
Beginner’s Mind presents this essence in a variety of
displays. It presents the mind of a realised master mirroring for his
students how every aspect of their lives can be an expression of
realization.
Suzuki Roshi was a personal friend of
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Ngak’chang Rinpoche has
recommended Zen Mind,
Beginner’s Mind since he first taught in 1976 –
commenting: “This book could easily be seen as a text on the
four naljors of Dzogchen sem-dé.”
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Teachings 
