Over the past few years, I have done a bit of interpreting for Zen monks and master Yamabushi. I have just been tasked with condensing all their knowledge of meditation into a script that we can later use for the participants on our Yamabushido programs.

I was amazed at how much I have picked up. I guess it makes sense, because when you’re interpreting the same thing over and over it starts to sink in. The only thing is that every time there is new information, and different monks have different ways of explaining the same things. But I think I was able to pick up so much because I kept the beginner’s mindset. By constantly being in a position where any information is exciting and new, you learn more overall.

This is just an assumption, but I think if someone who already had knowledge of this stuff was to interpret instead, then the small discrepancies that come from different monks would be overlooked. They would try to impart their own version of things. This comes from a position of pride. I think that they wouldn’t be able to share as much knowledge as I have accumulated, or you could say assimilated, because they don’t take the beginner’s mindset. Their stance is that of someone who has already mastered this stuff, and this means they take information for granted.

If you have the beginner’s mindset, you don’t get bored. This means you pay attention to details that other people might not. So, I’d recommend taking it if I were you.