Have you ever been with a child seeing something entirely new? How do your eyes widen, your breathing changes, your entire posture changes, and your full focus on this new thing? At that moment there is nothing else in the world for you, but the pure wonder and joy of something new.
One of the great and unexpected joys of my life became a grandparent. That doesn't say I didn't enjoy the magical moments of my kids, but as a grandparent, you have so much more time to spend time with the kid and enjoyment is more concentrated. I was voted least likely to marry and my school peers had children; before most of them I ended up marrying with children! The happy result of this was a 'young' grandparent. My energy levels are nowhere near what they were as a young mother, but I have more enthusiasm, especially in response to my grandchildren's infinite curiosity.
This is the engaging feature of awareness, the mind of the beginner. Not to be infantile, but childlike in your world experience and every moment. Opening your mind and curiosity to the world around you is one of the most important attitudes.
Only with awareness can this openness and curiosity be achieved. If we allow our days to drift away without paying attention to them, we miss moments that can improve our experience. Had you ever experienced coming somewhere to realize that you didn't remember the trip, how you arrived, anything you saw on the way, even if (maybe most disturbingly) you drove there in a car? We work so much with autopilot when we perform routine tasks. Touching asks us to take a stand in the mind of the beginner to ensure that we are conscious throughout our lives. There are many inspiring quotations that call us to consciousness, as if our lives depend on it ? which they do, of course.
"If you miss the moment, you miss your lifetime appointment. That's very grave!"
Nhat Hanh Thich
"Do every act of your life as if it were your last act of life."
Aurelius Marcus
"Ardently do what needs to be done today. Who knows? Who knows? Death comes tomorrow. Tomorrow."
The Buddhist
Returning to our thoughts, we must do so with curiosity, openness, and no judgment. We tend to go through the world fast, searching for the most effective way, not in every single moment. Although this provides efficiency advantages, there is a disadvantage to this arrangement. We can miss many crucial things, such as new views, ideas, or various approaches to tackling problems. A starting mind allows us to be open, creative, and connect with people in our lives. This inspires others to engage with us since they have an interest in them and show their appreciation of their opinions and ideas.
By having an open and curious mind, we can also get rid of our expectations of future events, because no two events can be identical. If we confront the future, we sometimes use the metaphor of a full cup or an empty cup to express our behavior towards something new. If we face a situation with a full cup, it suggests that we have no space for a new perspective. At that time, we are already packed with our own notions, and there is no space for fresh ideas or concepts.
Watch yourself through your day and see whether you are coming to your life with a 'full cup' that does not want to create room for fresh views, thoughts, or opinions. If so, investigate whether you can experience these events with an 'empty cup,' which brings the thinking of your novice to the fore. Try to open your thoughts to daily activities and see them as if you've never experienced them before. Let the ordinary surprise you a little, notice the wonder with simple emotions, sentiments, and ideas.
The mind of the beginner practices, as all the attitudes do, but unlike some, it's an attitude with which we only lost contact, all of us were children once!
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