Beginner's
mind is a posture of eagerness, of spiritual hunger.
The beginner's mind knows it needs something.
It is hard to remain spiritually hungry today.
We live in a treacherously seductive culture because it so immediately
satisfying.
We take away pain too easily.
We give answers too quickly and too quickly stimulate.
That's why the poor have a head start.
They can't resort to the instant fix to any problem: the asprin, the
trip, some entertainment.
They remain empty whether they want it or not.
We
are at a symbolic disadvantage as a wealthy culture.
Jesus said that the rich man or woman will find it hard to understand
what he is talking about.
The rich can satisfy their loneliness and longing in false ways,
in quick fixes that avoid the necessary learning.
In terms of soul work, we dare not get rid of the pain
before we have learned what it has to teach us.
Richard
Rohr in Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer,
Crossroad, NY 1999