For an American, admitting to such total ignorance is anathema. We aim to know everything. We’re socialized to think that not knowing is stupid and shameful. But in traditions like Zen, “don’t know mind” refers to a way of thinking that’s free from rigid concepts, as clear and fluid as air. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” said Suzuki Roshi. “In the expert’s there are few.” From a place of enlightenment, the mind’s job isn’t to shore up beliefs, but to let them go.
