Librarian-in-training
Skylar Couch-Tellefsen
(they/them)
MSIS student at UAlbany, Librarian-in-training, & Zen Buddhist practitioner.
"The beginner's mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless." --Shunryu Suzuki
Introduction: The Beginner's Mind
This is an introductory guide for anyone interested in practicing Zen Buddhism, learning more about the religion/philosophy, or any current/new practitioner who wants to refresh their practice and find additional resources. Buddhism is an ancient, multicultural religion/philosophy that covers an enormous amount of literature, beliefs, rituals, practices, schools, and information.
Covering the entirety of Buddhism—or even just Zen Buddhism—is impossible. The late Zen Master, John Daido Loori (2002), writes
When we want to find out about something new, what do we do? We buy a book and read it. We figure if we can name ir or describe it, we understand it and possess it. For the most part, in most endeavors, we can get away with that kind of approach. But that doesn’t work in Zen. It is the direct experience, not the words and ideas that describe it, that Zen is all about (p. 17).
In this Zen fashion, treat this LibGuide as it is: a pathfinder. The goal of this LibGuide is to introduce those with a piqued interest in Zen Buddhism to the basic concepts, practices, history, and beliefs/attitudes. More importantly, the goal of this LibGuide is to connect the readers to the real, direct experience by providing them with the tools, terminology, resources, and skills to find more information.
Perhaps you know nearly nothing about Zen Buddhism, and this is the first time you have encountered the religious/philosophical system of beliefs. In fact, many Westerners do not know where to begin when it comes to practicing Buddhism, Zen, or locating that direct experience. There is good news for beginners of Zen; when Shunryu Suzuki-roshi (1970) introduced Zen Buddhism to the United States in the 1960s, he wrote
In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few (p. 22).
Beginners are the best practitioners of Zen; whether it be through rituals, chants, beliefs, or liturgy, the practices of Zen are best grasped through the beginner's mind.
Portrait of Shunryu Suzuki. (Source: Black Mountain Zen Centre, n.d.).
