09.26.2025 Back to Beginner’s Mind   Six years ago, I joined a year-long herbalism class with a local teacher. It’d been a few years since I graduated from university, the last time I’d been in a true classroom setting. I was apprehensive about returning to a learning environment with homework involved, but felt the pull to learn something new. At the first class that September, my teacher served us an autumnal tea with ashwagandha, honey, and coconut milk — the first of many seasonal herbal concoctions she would offer us over the coming year, each one unique in its effects and flavor. That first year of study turned into a second, a third, and a fourth. Each September, I arrived with a fresh mind, meeting the same plants again and again as if they were new friends, their possibilities widening as my knowledge of them grew. Just when I thought I’d memorized all there was to know about a plant, we’d learn of an alternative use or preparation and I’d feel the spark of discovery all over again, reminded that learning is never finished. The late Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi described the Zen Buddhist concept of “beginner’s mind” as a state of openness, curiosity, and freedom from assumptions. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” he said. ”In the expert’s, few.”  Last week, a friend of mine began her first year of the same course. After her first class, she messaged me praising the cup of ashwagandha tea she’d drank with honey and coconut milk. I remembered my own first cup of that tea, sipped eagerly  with an open, curious mind. A few days later, I simmered a teaspoon of ashwagandha in water on the stove, stirring in honey and coconut milk. Each sip brought me back to that first class, beginner’s mind wide awake. In the new issue of Lion’s Roar, Elissa Altman recalls the story of moving into her late grandmother’s Brooklyn apartment with an old oven too dangerous to use. She describes turning to the local Italian grocery for inspiration, where in response to her complaints of being unable to cook, the neighborhood grandmothers advised her to “cook like a baby, not like a robot.” Only later did she realize what they meant: come to everything with beginner’s mind. The three pieces below share the inspiration of a beginner's mind. This fall season is the perfect time to return to that place, remembering to approach everything — whether a cup of tea, a recipe, or a moment of life itself — with a beginner’s mind. —Lilly Greenblatt, digital editor, Lion’s Roar Every Onion Is a New Onion Through the rhythm of daily cooking — and the guidance of a few Italian grandmothers — Elissa Altman discovers the importance of beginner’s mind. The Japanese Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971) coined the phrase “Zen mind, beginner’s mind.” In his book of that name, he describes beginner’s mind as a state of openness, curiosity, and freedom from preconceptions. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” he wrote, “but in the expert’s there are few.” The women on Avenue U didn’t quote Zen texts — yet they embodied its spirit with every stomp, sigh, and scribbled list. The first meal I made for myself in my grandmother’s apartment—on top of the stove, using the list they had thrust into my hands — was porcini-stuffed ravioli with brown butter and sage. As I tucked into the meal, it was clear: Don’t make assumptions about what you can and cannot do. Treat every kitchen like a new space. Treat every onion like a new onion. Shop daily, buy what’s fresh, and cook it that night. See things new, every day. ADVERTISEMENT Thich Nhat Hanh on Beginner’s Mind With beginner’s mind, we have the inherent capacity to recognize what is good, what is beautiful, and what is true, says Thich Nhat Hanh. The beginner’s mind is like a young plant, and it needs good conditions in order to grow strong. If the conditions aren’t supportive, then you lose your beginner’s mind. That is a pity. To have supportive conditions doesn’t mean that everything must go well on the path of practice. You don’t have to have everyone’s encouragement. In fact, on every path of practice there are many obstacles to discourage you. Every time you overcome an obstacle, your beginner’s mind gets stronger. So these obstacles are not really obstacles; they are there to help you get stronger. Buddhism A–Z: Beginner’s Mind Beginner’s mind, a concept in Zen Buddhism, emphasizes approaching learning with freshness, curiosity, and openness. You can begin practicing beginner’s mind through meditation or conversation with others. When meditating, the key is to find a quiet place where you can be comfortable, pay attention to your body, focus on your breaths, and simply notice when a thought wanders into your mind. If there are any fantasies or narratives surrounding that thought, practice dropping them and observing it independently of those preconceived notions. Likewise, when in conversation with others, try not to hold onto thoughts that state what you think that person should say or how you think they should act. Rather, observe the person unclouded by personal judgment, exactly as they are in front of you.