Beginner’s Mind Practice: How “Whatever That Means” Can Transform Your Spiritual Growth

Dr. Cory Degnen

Beginner’s mind practice can feel disorienting at first. You may think you understand meditation, mindfulness, or spirituality. However, at some point in your journey, those definitions may begin to feel tight or limiting.

That moment is not regression.

It’s expansion beginning.

Many people assume spiritual growth means accumulating insight. Yet in reality, beginner’s mind practice often asks you to loosen what you think you already know. Instead of gathering certainty, you release it.

And that shift can change everything.

Beginner’s mind comes from Zen Buddhism. It describes approaching experience as if you’re seeing it for the first time — curious, open, and free from rigid expectations.

In contrast, the “expert mind” believes it already understands.

When you enter beginner’s mind practice, you quietly say:

“Maybe I don’t fully know what this is.”

That statement is not self-doubt.

It’s humility.

And humility opens perception.

In the early stages of meditation, structure is helpful. You learn techniques. You follow instructions. You try to “do it correctly.”

However, over time, definitions can harden.

You may think:

• Meditation is sitting still.
• Spirituality means feeling peaceful.
• Mindfulness requires a quiet mind.

But what if meditation is broader than that?

What if spirituality includes confusion, grief, creativity, and even boredom?

When your definition becomes too narrow, growth slows. Beginner’s mind practice reopens possibility.

It’s important to clarify something.

“Whatever” can sometimes sound dismissive. It can feel like avoidance or bypassing responsibility.

That is not what beginner’s mind practice invites.

Instead, “whatever that means” becomes an expansion.

For example:

• Meditation… whatever that means.
• Love… whatever that means.
• Healing… whatever that means.

Rather than shrinking the meaning, you allow it to grow.

You become curious.

You ask:

• What is meditation beyond my current understanding?
• What is love beyond my expectations?
• What is healing beyond relief?

Curiosity replaces control.

Many people reach a point where their spiritual practice feels stuck. They’ve tried to do it “right.” They’ve followed instructions carefully. Yet something feels constrained.

Beginner’s mind practice softens that rigidity.

Instead of clinging to the idea that you’ve found the correct approach, you acknowledge that spiritual traditions have evolved for thousands of years across cultures.

Buddhism. Hinduism. Taoism. Christian mysticism. Sufism.

Each offers different expressions of truth.

When you loosen your grip on a single interpretation, something inside you relaxes.

Wonder returns.

Modern culture prizes certainty. Therefore, not knowing can feel threatening.

However, spiritual growth often unfolds through paradox.

You grow by admitting you don’t fully understand.

You deepen by recognizing your perspective is partial.

You expand by releasing the need to be right.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung spoke about the necessity of holding opposites in tension. Beginner’s mind practice allows you to hold knowledge and humility at the same time.

You know what you know.

And you remain open to more.

That openness keeps practice alive.

Beginner’s mind practice doesn’t require dramatic change. It requires subtle shifts.

1. Add “Whatever That Means” to Rigid Concepts

Notice where your definitions feel tight.

Then gently add:

“…whatever that means.”

Watch what happens internally.

2. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Instead of:

“Why isn’t this working?”

Try:

“What is this showing me?”

Curiosity invites learning.

3. Experiment With Variation

If you always sit for meditation, try walking meditation. If you always follow the breath, try mantra. If you avoid movement, try Tai Chi.

Not to abandon structure — but to widen it.

4. Notice Resistance Without Judgment

If beginner’s mind feels uncomfortable, that’s normal.

The ego prefers certainty.

However, growth prefers openness.

When beginner’s mind practice truly lands, something shifts emotionally.

There is lightness.

You no longer need to defend your understanding.

You no longer panic when something contradicts you.

Instead, you feel free to explore.

Freedom is not having all the answers.

Freedom is not needing them.

There’s also a psychological benefit to this approach.

Rigid thinking patterns often contribute to anxiety and depression. When you become overly attached to expectations, disappointment intensifies suffering.

However, beginner’s mind practice introduces cognitive flexibility.

Research on mindfulness and psychological flexibility suggests that openness reduces reactivity and increases resilience. (External link suggestion: American Psychological Association on mindfulness research.)

In other words, openness isn’t just spiritual — it’s therapeutic.

There’s also a psychological benefit to this approach.

Rigid thinking patterns often contribute to anxiety and depression. When you become overly attached to expectations, disappointment intensifies suffering.

However, beginner’s mind practice introduces cognitive flexibility.

Research on mindfulness and psychological flexibility suggests that openness reduces reactivity and increases resilience. (External link suggestion: American Psychological Association on mindfulness research.)

In other words, openness isn’t just spiritual — it’s therapeutic.

You don’t have to abandon structure to practice beginner’s mind.

You simply loosen your grip.

You don’t have to reject your teachers.

You simply allow yourself to keep learning.

Beginner’s mind practice is not about ignorance.

It’s about aliveness.

When you allow space for “whatever that means,” your spiritual path stops feeling narrow and starts feeling spacious.

And in that spaciousness, growth continues.