I've read "Zen Mind, Beginners' Mind" sixteen years ago and it really affected my way of thinking (or, better, it reinforced my temperament).
On the other hand, I believe that living by these teachings can lead to a certain kind of passivity. Which is not bad per se.
Steve Jobs (not mentioned in the article) is (supposedly) a zen buddhist, but I doubt you can do what he did and truly follow these philosophies at the same time.
>I believe that living by these teachings can lead to a certain kind of passivity.
Yep, when the world is full of possibilities, it is not going any where is it.
Learning a new programming language/framework/technology is an excellent example of training ones beginners mind I think. -- I am addicted to that experience. I like connecting the dots.
I don't think expert knowledge is bad, although expert knowledge in a singular line of technology (where all parts are consistent) is a way to freeze the mind and become dumber. By knowing and being able to use several conflicting versions of "the truth" -- the mind is set free.
Also, there is so much to know, in general, that you always have a possibility to have a beginners mind about something!
This reminded me of mindfulness meditation. Like you said, it leads to passivity, which means that I'll be less motivated to change things because "i should be happy with the way things are".
This does NOT jive with my ambitions of starting a business, so i'm done with meditation.
It isn't telling you to just be happy with the way things are, it's telling you to see the way things are before you decide what to do - be present and aware of your surroundings and thoughts, otherwise when you act it will be based on what you wanted to see, or what you imagine you saw, or on a habit, an unknown desire or fear or prejudice, or a lesson you learned via advertising or an idea you unwittingly picked up from a friend. It wont be acting, it will be reacting, and you wont even know it.
You are done with mindfulness meditation because of a fear that it will ruin a desire, which comes from an interpretation. Isn't that a perfect example of where it could be helpful?
You're right, except that some of those desires are what drive me to excel in certain areas. If I take those desires away, I won't even want to do those things anymore.
Coding, for example, comes from my desire to create and mold ideas. If I no longer have that desire, something I cherish very much will be gone.
It seems to unfeeling for me. Basically I understand that desires are wasteful but I don't care. I like them.
I felt tricked by the article. The article does not mention Steve Jobs or the quote. Slightly ironic that the article pulls in gullible beginner's minds with this cynical and manipulative approach.
On the other hand, I believe that living by these teachings can lead to a certain kind of passivity. Which is not bad per se.
Steve Jobs (not mentioned in the article) is (supposedly) a zen buddhist, but I doubt you can do what he did and truly follow these philosophies at the same time.