Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Chapter 25 includes a quote from what could be my favorite fictional character, Yoda, the wise Jedi Master from the Star wars franchise.
And, you know, the book includes a quote that says, truly wonderful the mind of a child is.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: How does Yoda's wisdom echo that of Socrates or Zen Buddhism within the context of the. This concept of beginner's mind?
[00:00:33] Speaker B: You have great questions, Brendan.
We adults think we know the truth and we really don't. We just know what we've been taught. And so it's to get outside that kind of ego mind and say, okay, the beginner's mind is openness. And you see a kid just being open to whatever in front of him or her. So let go of your preconceptions. Oh, this is dumb. Oh, I've done this before. Let go of that. Have an open mind.
And then another part of that beginner's mind is be eager. I mean, don't you see kids being eager to play on the playground or eager to play with that toy?
They're just eager along with being open. And so kind of say, okay, I'm going to enter this like, I'm doing it for the first time. I'm eager to learn it in a new way and experience a new way.
And then the last is let go of our prejudices, meaning, I already know how this is going to turn out, or this is dumb or whatever. Let go of the prejudices and be open. Be eager. Enter in like you've never done it before. And most probably you're going to be surprised, like, hey, that was pretty good. I had fun or I learned something new.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I really like that, Pete. In many of my yoga classes, sometimes when I'm teaching a challenging asana, I like to tell people to flip into their six, seven or eight year old self before tackling it. Because that mindset shift that you alluded to, I mean, it helps them be a little more playful, a little more willing to tackle something new. For sure.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: It's a good strategy, isn't it?
[00:02:16] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely.
In the final chapter of your book, Pete, you include a quote from the author and spiritual teacher Gary Zhukov, which states, the more aware of your intentions and your experiences you become, the more you will be able to connect the two and the more you will be able to create the experiences of your life consciously.
This is the development of mastery.
It is the creation of authentic power. How can listeners apply this quote to living more authentic lives?
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Okay, I have teenagers coming to my private counseling practice and they're flunking school getting in trouble, you know, problems with teachers and parents. So, you know, gain a relationship. And then I say, okay, what this next semester, what are your intentions? Meaning, what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to get good grades. I'm going 10. I'm going to stay out of trouble. I'm like, okay. Because whatever your intentions are and you have control over them, they'll come true.
And we do this fun little exercise. And so a couple weeks later, I'll say, okay, you're going to school. You're getting good grades, staying out of trouble. No, no, I'm not. But no, those were really my intentions. Like, no, whatever your intentions are, they'll come true. And your intentions are to have fun and say screw you.
And their eyes just pop open because they know we reached a deeper point where whatever your intentions are come true. So, same thing with adults. Look at your outside world, and if you have intention to whatever, write the great next great American novel.
Are you at your computer screen? Are you collecting notes? Are you joining a writer's group? Is it really your intention or is it a dream, a wish, which is different than intention?
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Yep, yep. That. That ties back to, I believe it was Winfrey's quote. Maybe Winfrey or. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
