Over the years I’ve been reading a lot of books on improvement, inspiration and growth, but every now and then you come across wisdom that changes everything. You find yourself again at the crossroads, unlearning everything you learn and reconditioning not just what you think about, but the way you think. This is something that is sadly not taught in schools, and lessons that can only be learned through experience. “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki is the classic that many have referenced and applied to the chosen way of life, and is a great foundation. “Meditations” by one the greatest rulers of all time, Marcus Aurelius is another classic that will have you throwing away books by Machiavelli, Sun Tzu and alike. And the recent “11 Rings” by Phil Jackson is a modern take on the previous books, fusing spiritual teachings and leadership with the art of basketball. Get off your instagram and facebook for a while and READ.
“For Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic. Our “original mind” includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” -Suzuki
“Everything is always in flux. Until you accept this, you won’t be able to find true equanimity. But to do that means accepting life as it is, not just what you consider the ‘good parts’.” -Jackson
“Let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things which come from the external cause; and let there be justice in the things done by virture of the internal cause, that is, let there be movement and action terminating in this, in social acts, for this is according to thy nature.” -Aurelius