Zen Your Mind | Mind the Beginner

About a songbird in Winter

9 December 2011

Once upon a time there was a little songbird. Born in a typical Dutch forest at the edge of some fields. His first months of life were spent in spring and an abundance of food was all he knew. Then one day he heard the older birds talk about oncoming winter. “What is winter?” he [...]

A quick introduction to Meditation

29 September 2011

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Have you ever thought about meditation? There are many different ideas out there on what it is exactly and what it’s good for. I wouldn’t be a human being if I didn’t have an opinion on the topic myself. This blogpost gives you one of many views, but a view from someone with personal experience. [...]

Are you on your way to mastery?

22 September 2011

1 Comment

Did you ever ask yourself what the key to mastery is? Why do some people become insanely good at something while others never seem to get ahead? Why do some people learn faster? Is it a talent? Are they just gifted? I don’t believe so. I believe that all there is to it is something [...]

They Messed Up Your Plan

8 June 2011

1 Comment

…But they are supposed to, that’s their job. Lately I’ve been thinking (and reading) a lot about martial arts and the interactions and relations that are a part of that. Today during Aikido training it struck me as I was trying a technique. It went wrong – obviously – or at least, the situation didn’t [...]

The Illusive No-thought and Listening

25 May 2011

1 Comment

Have you ever tried to meditate? Did you ever hear people try to explain what it is? You’ve probably heard things like “Don’t think”, “Clear your mind” and “Shutting up your inner dialogue”. The problem is that those are just concepts. Did you ever try having no thoughts? Not only does it have the same [...]

Get Out Of Your Way or Killing Ego

29 April 2011

3 Comments

While rereading one of my favorite books there was a line in there that I can’t get out of my mind: Thinking about yourself gets in the way of what you are trying to do – J.J. Gibbs I think it actually sums up all the issues I’m having. Issues with education, issues with blogging, [...]

How To Become A Master Enjoyer

2 March 2011

1 Comment

Do you enjoy the simple things in life? Enjoying yourself is not to be taken lightly, it’s an artform. An art that few ever master though a lot of people try. Here I’ll give you a few pointers in the direction of enjoying. A few simple and not-so-simple lessons you can explore for yourself on [...]

Punching Tigers In The Face

20 January 2011

0 Comments

A long time ago an American lady walked into a temple and met a Zen master and told him that deep inside she had a holy place, a place where she could be at peace and that this place was always with her. Sometimes it was hard to reach, but it was there. “Yes” said [...]

Resisting Nature And Pushing Rocks

13 January 2011

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Imagine a rather heavy rock, one you can’t lift completely but are able to shift and topple. How would you move it? I’m talking about the really heavy rocks here. You can’t just pick it up and have it behave exactly like you want. It has a mind of its own, if it actually would [...]

Why Are You Doing That?

10 January 2011

1 Comment

You want the minimalist lifestyle You investigate being as productive as possible Pareto’s law is your creed You get rid of almost all your possessions so you don’t have any distractions But you missed something! It’s not just about what you do, and how you do it. You’re forgetting the why. We’re all creatures of [...]

MindThe Beginner

Archive | Zen your Mind RSS feed for this category

About a songbird in Winter

A quick introduction to Meditation

Are you on your way to mastery?

They Messed Up Your Plan

The Illusive No-thought and Listening

Get Out Of Your Way or Killing Ego

How To Become A Master Enjoyer

Punching Tigers In The Face

Resisting Nature And Pushing Rocks

Why Are You Doing That?

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