Since I am wide awake. let's talk shop while I Cybernetic Loop with SJ (Sound Journey = Samurai Jack = Sharudin Jamal).
Based on what I had gathered, the F.U.D. I'm experiencing is nothing more than False Emotions Appeared Real (F.E.A.R.)
That's why certainty is very important in maintaining the Expert Mind. Here it is no longer about possibilities. That we develop during the Beginner's Mind. The Expert Mind is about mastery.
In this case, once we pass the Point of Paradox (the point where both Apple and No Apple exist), the thinking is: form is form, emptiness is emptiness. We shift from Fuzzy Thinking to Absolute Thinking.
Therefore in dealing with the trivial many (the 80%), adopt the Beginner's Mind. However, when dealing with the vital few (20%) adopt the Expert Mind.
For those who are new to the teaching of Shrunyu Suzuki, You may be thinking that the Way, the Do is the Beginner's Mind, This is because, in his book, he talks extensively about the philosophy of the Beginner's Mind.
The Beginner's Mind is also the non-assumptive attitude of the Zen Masters. However, Beginner's Mind is neither nor thinking. It is ambiguous and fuzzy. It is good because it is fluid. Alas, even the Zen Masters agree that at the fringes (also known as the brink, hence the Art of Brinkmanship) you need to be definitive. Otherwise, you cannot make a sound decision!
It reminds me of a parable about a developing country that wrote a letter to United Nations requesting a one-handed advisor. United Nations was puzzled.
They wrote back, "We are sorry, we don't have any one-handed advisor. What's wrong with the one with two hands?"
The developing country replied, "We have a big problem with him. He keeps on saying on one hand you can do this, on the other hand, you can do that. We just want a definite person who only has one hand for an answer."
The lesson here is mental flexibility DEPENDS on the situation you are facing. It cuts both ways. If your only tool is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail - Abraham Maslow. However, if there are too many options, chances are there will be indecision.
So what is the mark of a mentally flexible person? The following slide provides a clue:
While it is nice to be flexible within a certain thought process, it is much better if we can be flexible in SWITCHING between several thought processes.
The best way is to develop critical thinking when dealing with a mentally challenging issue.
