November 28, 2020 | by David March.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Is a compilation of teachings by the late Shunryū Suzuki, a monk, and teacher who contributed to the popularization of Zen Buddhism in the United States during the 1960s. The book focuses heavily on Zen meditation and practice, as well as methods to quiet the mind and the significance of posture. Although I regularly practice a different type of Buddhism (Mahayana), Zen Buddhism has enriched my meditation practice.
“The Marrow of Zen” is a chapter in the book that really resonated with me. It states:
“There is said to be four kinds of horses: excellent ones, good ones, poor ones, and bad ones. The best horse will run slow and fast, right and left, at the driver’s will before it sees the shadow of the whip; the second best will run as well as the first one does, just before the whip reaches its skin; the third one will run when it feels pain on its body; the fourth will run after the pain penetrates to the marrow of its bones. You can imagine how difficult it is for the fourth one to learn how to run!
When we hear this story, almost all of us want to be the best horse. If it is impossible to be the best one, we want to be the second best. You may think that when you sit in zazen you will find out whether you are one of the best horses or one of the worst ones. Here, however, there is a misunderstanding of Zen. If you think the aim of Zen practice is to train you to become one of the best horses, you will have a big problem. If you practice Zen in the right way it does not matter whether you are the best horse or the worst one. When you consider the mercy of Buddha, how do you think Buddha will feel about the four kinds of horses? He will have more sympathy for the worst one than for the best one.
When you are determined to practice zazen with the great mind of Buddha, you will find the worst horse is the most valuable one.”
Commentary on “The Four Horses”
Consider this: excellent, good, poor, or bad are relative qualities. Everyone learns differently, feels pain differently, and has their own journey. We often compare ourselves to others because they can do something that we wish we could do as well. In times like these, we’d do well to remember Albert Einstein’s observation, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Einstein, of course, knew that everyone has their own challenges that are invisible to other people.
Many high net worth individuals say, “Fail fast and fail often.” This aphorism indicates that failing must follow determination. When working to achieve success, there is never an avoidance of failure; on the contrary, you are always courting it. True progress only results from making mistakes and then learning from them–i.e. getting back up when you have been knocked down.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind goes as far as to say, “A Zen master’s life could be said to be one continuous mistake.”
The more times we fail, the more opportunities we have to learn from our failures. Each time we fail, we are also granted an opportunity for improvement. Think about the importance of iteration in any creative endeavor. Often the tools needed for success are built on a succession of failures. Perseverance in the face of adversity is key.
Winter always turns to Spring. The sun always shines after the storm. Therefore, do not be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not trying again after you fail. The greatest risk is the risk of riskless living.
Build, Measure, Learn
By using the “Build, Measure, Learn” feedback loop prescribed in “The Lean Startup”–an entrepreneur’s guide written by Eric Ries–you will gain valuable insight as to what happened, exactly how you failed, and how to grow from that failure. Employing this method can help you weather innumerable challenges.
The Build, Measure, Learn feedback loop hinges on first taking an action. In this case, making a product. Eric recommends using an MVP or Minimum Viable Product–a product without bells and whistles–to start with. The goal is to MEASURE the target audience’s receptivity towards it, whether it does well or bad is not of primary interest. What matters is what you LEARN from the experiment. You may have learned that the product is loved by women and disliked by men, GREAT. What did women like about it? Build up that aspect on the next go around or loop.
This philosophy of embracing failure in order to try something new is transforming how new products are being built and launched. An increasing number of companies are opting to run product experiments in test markets to study and refine the reception of their products..
This process can be documented in a journal detailing the wins and losses, it will bring you clarity, and guide you towards working smarter not harder.
Let’s look at this in the sense of a career transition:
Returning to Shunryū Suzuki’s horse analogy, imagine you’re the excellent horse.
You feel dissatisfaction with your career, so you question how fulfilling it is, and take the action to remedy it, this is done quickly and without hesitation. (If it is impossible to be the best, we want to be the second-best)
Then again, perhaps you decide to stay a little longer at the job you dislike because you value your job’s relative stability. Then, after a year of discontentment, you decide enough is enough and try to search for a new position. (If it is impossible to be the second-best, we want to be the third-best)
Or maybe you see the writing on the wall–your company is laying off staff, etc. It’s only a matter of time before the stress begins to feel overwhelming. It is not until this point that you start to look for a new position. (If it is impossible to be the third-best, we want to be the fourth-best)
Instead of blowing up in frustration, forgive yourself for not listening to yourself sooner. Mediate, if you can, and listen to your soul’s voice. Ask it, “What do I want?” When that becomes clear to you, you’ll likely find that it’s something you haven’t done before or are afraid of doing. Though let’s be honest, isn’t it better to embrace the unknown than to persist in repeating the same mistakes? Of course, it is.
In my book, Vision In Action, I note that whether you’re pursuing a career transition or looking to cultivate entrepreneurial opportunities, it is essential to not be afraid to learn in the face of scrutiny. Having the persistence to try, try, and try again is the hallmark of what I call being “a public amateur.” An individual of this type is someone who pursues what they’re passionate about irregardless of what others think. A public amateur is someone who can quickly get over embarrassment and inadequacy to act willfully and bravely. It’s important to ask yourself if your previous failings may, in fact, be your stepping stones to newfound prosperity.
Where do you stand in your career transition?
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