When I was studying in college, there was a 30 ft. tall tree near my math class. I never paid attention to it, then one day there was an evening, sun was setting, sky had beautiful orange shade, weather was very calm. Every leaf of the tree was lit slowly in orange shade by the rays, no matter what their original color was! There was some time for class to begin, so all were waiting outside.
I was alone as my friends were yet to come there. I started looking at the tree, felt an unusual feeling, which exactly cannot be described but it was peaceful, happy moment and there was nothing else in my mind, not even a single thought.
I had so many things on my mind an hour before- thoughts about my crush who was not paying attention to me, exams, what food should I eat next, etc. Something for those few minutes changed, years later I realized it was a moment when I had beginner’s mind. I didn’t have any thoughts what tree it was, how it was useful or even I couldn’t have described the tree as I have now.
Over the years I had the same feeling whenever I would paint something extraordinary or solve a math problem in few minutes. The fact is there are number of possibilities to be creative or solve something when you have beginner’s mind because you are open to everything. A mind who is expert in something has limited his ability in doing things certain way. Expert cannot easily step out of the frame, expert is amazing in the task and thus he/she is not open to infinite possibilities.
Zen philosophy’s major concentration is on beginner’s mind. You have to return back to being a little child for whom everything is unnamed and new. You have to forget the names, thought and opinions about things which language, culture gave it to understand it.
Here is a weird thought, If you look at a person with beginner’s mind, all our senses are free to focus on the person without any distractions of old fears, prejudices and opinions. Then and then only we can precept the reality of the person and would realize the person is not separate from us. We can forget to protect self and develop an intimacy.
Thus, in the movie avatar, there was this dialogue I really liked, ” I see you” which probably equals or means more than ” I love you”
