Living with an Opinion-less Mind

The advice here is to adopt a humble effort to be less-opinionated in everyday activities.

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In Zen Buddhism, we often talk about “beginner’s mind.” It emphasizes the fact that we are pure, open-minded, and less-opinionated at the beginning of any circumstances.

If you are new at a job, you feel inspired and willing to learn anything with a pure, open, and less-opinionated attitude. Everything is new to you, and you can be humble; indeed, everything and everyone around you can be — and should be — your teachers in one way or another.

But this freshness doesn’t usually last long. Once you get used to or stay in the situation long enough — though what feels “long enough” is subjective — you are no longer as pure, open, or humble. You may become full of opinions about the circumstances around you, whether good or bad.

The good thing is that you can see yourself as an experienced employee or contributor, and ideally, you can be willing to help, support, and guide those who are new. You may even be ready to be a mentor.

On the other hand, the bad thing is that, paradoxically, feeling you know it well makes you less open, less flexible, and more opinionated…