Seeing Anew

Seeing anew is about cultivating a beginner’s mind. Whether we are beginners in our mindfulness practice or long time practitioners, meditation is a constant reminder to return to a fresh slate – to new eyes. Mindfulness and meditation practice continually calls us to step out of our habitual thought patterns and beliefs and to rediscover a renewed way of seeing; from there, our potential for insightful discovery and transformation deepens.

Letting Go to Start Anew

Jack Kornfield’s talk on ‘Seeing Anew’ draws us into the possibility of letting go of self-limiting, fearful ways of thinking and being so that we can begin again. He explains that this journey begins with forgiveness before proceeding to the art of letting go – letting go of limited views and opinions about the world and our self.

As a collective, our experience of stress, anxiety, and fear has risen. In order to transform our cultures, we need to hone our skills of letting go, cultivating our capacity for renewal and rejuvenation. When we practice mindfully releasing our conditioned thoughts and beliefs, we find a greater capacity for love, acceptance, and healing.

Cultivating Contentment

With continued practice, we begin to move more naturally into this fresh way of seeing and being. Contentment and inner harmony become more present as we find we no longer become caught or lost in the old thought patterns that once weighed us down so heavily. Anytime we are caught up in outdated ways of being, we can call upon our beginner’s mind to bring about a fresh way of seeing.