Pretend You Know Nothing

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Shunryu Suzuki

I may be running a risk in quoting from Zen Buddhism in this group! If you stick around here, you’ll find that I know a Universal Christ which doesn’t disregard the wisdom of other paths, even as I continue to be a follower of the Way.

And really, didn’t Jesus say the same thing, essentially? “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-3)

I could go on (and on … and did I mention on?) about the interpretation of that, but our point here is this:

As we begin the journey of exploring our central questions, it is a good thing to approach this as if we have no clue to the answer.

Because we don’t.

A Quick Recap of the Zoom Party

Yesterday, 22 of us came together for a “launch party” which became a deep discussion of this journey we’re embarking on, each in a way that is true to our nature. BTW – the color exercise we did was the best party game ever, and if you weren’t there and would like me to take you through it, that can be arranged. Just message me.

In that discussion, I asked everyone present to frame their journey as a question. The answers were inspiring:

• How can I deal with these health issues so I can be the best Gramps possible?
• How can I find balance between being content with where I am and being excited about what’s next?
• How can I be the brave adventurer instead of the timid mapmaker?
• How can I bring back good parts of myself that I’ve denied?

Yeah. You are an amazing group.

We moved from there into my explanation of what we’ll do for the remainder of 2024. Each month I’ll pose a question with the hope that by answering it through exploration along the way, you’ll draw closer to the answer to your central question. Each Monday I’ll introduce the aspect of that month’s question here on the blog, and 5 or 6 days a week I’ll take us into even more specificity on Facebook.

As the “party” was winding down (my apologies to those who didn’t quite know what they were walking into!), I asked, what do you need? How can we as a group help you? The answers were, again, stunning:

• accountability (“so I can stay invested”)
• support
• consistency
• community
• fun! 

That was hugely helpful to me in continuing to shape our pilgrimage.

Starting Empty-Headed

Since the point of each of our journeys is to explore a central question, it makes sense to begin by not thinking we already know the answer. I mean, seriously, what is the point in asking if we think we’ve got this down?

The key, then, is to have what the Zen Buddhists call “beginner’s mind.” What Jesus meant when he said, “be like a child.” (Hence the seven-year-old picture you see here.) But how do we do that? I’ve said this before – I’ve got monkeys swinging from trees in my head and I’m trying to give them all bananas as they fly around me. Ever tried to get apes to sit quietly in a corner? It’s like herding cats.

We don’t have to empty our minds of all thought. That’s impossible anyway. It’s really a matter – in my experience – of letting all of that go on while we find a space inside us, beneath the fray, where we can say, “I got nothin’, God. Please, teach, teach, teach.”

While the monkeys swing, we can let go of preconceived notions.

While they grab for the bananas, we can set aside what everybody has advised us to do, just for now.

While they perform all their antics to distract us, we can cease beating ourselves up because we haven’t got a clue.

If we move forward, completely open to the new, we are right where God wants us. I have it on the best authority.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

Yesterday we used the metaphor of coming to a party where the buffet is set up with all kinds of goodies. As you enter the feast can you let go of what you’re expecting to find on the table?

What preconceived ideas do you need to let go of so you can simply see where the asking of your question takes you?

Me? The words “you have to do it right” come to mind. Yeah, I’m turning that over to TSA. It’s not allowed on this flight.