Beginner’s Mind is a term widely known in the general population, but how much do we understand this phenomenon? My workshop, Just Listening, aims to provide a glimpse of beginner’s mind by engaging with new music, and it’s something I’ve thought a lot about. Here is a set of my thoughts on the topic, with surely more to come in the months ahead!
First, beginner’s mind is derived from Zen Buddhist practice, and refers generally to the state of mind one has when one is just beginning a pursuit, when one has little knowledge of that pursuit yet, and the mind is filled with the desire to learn. The key to this state of mind, in which one embraces “not knowing”, is that conscious knowledge is deeply tied to concepts: concepts of the right way to do a thing, the way to think of a task, of what happens if you do it wrong, and so forth. Many of those concepts make us hesitant to simply do a thing and learn, so bypassing that stage and inhabiting the natural state of not knowing — a skill that can be learned through practice — can be of immense value.
The initial difficulty of beginner’s mind is in realizing its value, that not knowing is the predicate to learning. As we become more and more expert at what we do, it is difficult to sustain that state of mind. A person who is experienced at a thing becomes efficient, develops a habit of how to go about it, probably feels confident. But that very habit makes approaching the thing with beginner’s mind quite a challenge. We have a lot of resistance to letting go of our hard-earned experience, our recognized expertise. It can be very hard for us to hear from someone else about their way, their different take, their view of rightness. And the more deeply held our sense of being an expert, the more fraught the question of fresh insight, new perspective, or discovering our wrongness can be.
For those who aim to become expert listeners, encountering music we have not heard is one of the best ways to do so, since we really ought to be able to admit ahead of the encounter that we don’t know what we will hear. We might know the type of ensemble or specific group, we might be told something in program notes, but in fact, we are in a state of not knowing no matter what!
But of course, we don’t stay in that state long, especially if we are seasoned listeners, musicians, or especially composers. As soon as the music starts, our critical, judgmental mind is at it: “I like that”, “I’d never do that in my piece”, “I don’t like that”… Our critical minds are on the prowl, turning off our listening at the first “don’t like”, listening for our favorite things, getting involved in thinking about the music instead of listening to what is happening right now. So it is very helpful to practice something that aids us in developing beginner’s mind.
Zen meditation is very much focused on embracing that state, and the process rather starts with allowing what is currently happening to happen. What is, is. An age-old awareness is that we become what we resist. Trying to stop the critical mind from thinking by thinking does nothing but entangle us in the energy of that thought, so all we can really do is not engage — recognize the presence of a thought, judgment, like, dislike, and simply let it be. The practice allows one to simply notice what is, right now, wherever one might be. In Zen, counting the breath is a basic way to start, as breathing is going to happen always, without our having to think about it, so returning to that state is a ready-made locus of something we can focus on that takes no thought.
The depth of penetration that not knowing can bring, in terms of freshness of mind, is hard to describe. The growing awareness that one doesn’t really know — (for example) what others think, what that look from someone means, why that person made that statement — is just one of many liberations that come from developing the ability to embrace not knowing, beginner’s mind. For teaching, having the ability to set aside my expertise and really hear the comments made by students is a regular source of inspiration and insight both for me and my classes, since I need to spend no time trying to show why my thought is right but rather engage with an insight brought to me by someone actively encountering music for the first time. Understanding, grappling with how such a new thought relates to the topic at hand is much more instructive than proving myself right, and it is incredibly common to realize in doing so that the insight aligns with my thinking anyway! This is how I learn from students and participants in my workshops, by being able to really listen to their input.
Beginners, of course, are on a quest to know how to do something right, and may not realize the value of their state since they are so far from their goal. Most music teachers have dealt with students so afraid of making a mistake that they can hardly make a sound! The same is true for those listening to new music, but the fear is in not knowing what to say, think, or how to process what one hears. Therefore, in the quest to become a good listener to all music, listening to music that is beyond one’s experience can be an incredibly valuable tool for developing a habit of embracing not knowing.
Just as with many new ventures, having a guide for one’s journey, someone more experienced in the field to support good directions of thought and steer us away from pitfalls, can be of great importance. And there’s one more very important aspect of the experience of not knowing, of beginner’s mind, especially in relation to music listening: in order to become aware of the profundity of one’s awakening, it helps to express insights that arise. That step can be purely internal, simply a lightness or smile as one awakens to a new insight, but it is extraordinarily helpful to discuss what one hears, to talk about what has happened in the music. People bring up the deepest insights in this way, often not comprehending how deep their insight is, perhaps not using standard terminology, etc. A person with deeper experience can support the thinking, possibly supply a word to encapsulate a new concept that matches the expression, and propel us toward the learning we seek.
Beginner’s mind is also a natural part of what is referred to as ”flow”, and another method to allow beginner’s mind to be expressed has to do with developing flow. A person truly practiced, truly expert at a piece of music or a performance style can simply play, not think, but play. When one is at that point, of having developed knowledge so deep that thought is not necessary, one is able to keep moving forward, allowing the knowledge one possesses to pop up as needed. I use this second method in classes to develop the hearing of harmony, playing examples to be identified by a person or group, maintaining a steady pace even amid errors, allowing students to improve over time as they build up confidence in simply speaking the answer that comes to mind. Once a person becomes basically error-free — and it does happen — their knowledge, their concept of the sound is deep and trustworthy.
When we are not afraid of losing our knowledge, we can set it aside and continue to learn. Embracing not knowing is to embrace further learning, deeper expertise, not by any means to embrace ignorance or eschew real expertise.
This is so beautiful to read. A mirror of myself in not being able to see the present. Feel it and not judge.