Beginner’s Mind

When we come to a new endeavor, it helps to approach with a beginner’s mind. When we decide to open our minds to other religious beliefs, carrying old beliefs from a previous religion can block our learning experience. I have never played the drums except to bang on them in an undisciplined effort to imitate what I’ve seen others do. The result is cacophony and disappointment.

If I want to learn to play the drums, then I must enter the experience as a student who is open to the instruction of another. I must be willing to accept and open my mind to ways of holding the sticks and striking the drum. If I come with a closed mind, little will be accomplished.

When we are closed-minded about other religions and judge them based solely upon what we believe to be true, we fail to gain the experience and wisdom that can make our lives richer. So, we choose instead to open our minds and to approach with the attitude of knowing nothing. We engage as if our minds were blank slates, and allow the experience to unfold. Later we can decipher what we liked and what we didn’t, not based on past religious beliefs, but based on what brought us closer to Love and unity with one another.