Shoshin: Zen Buddhism meaning Beginner's Mind.

Shoshin ( is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning Beginner's Mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.

The phrase was also used as the title of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki's book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, which reflects a saying of his regarding the way to approach Zen practice: In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.

Shoshin also means "Correct Truth" and is used to denote a correct or perfect signature on art works Shoshin Mei. This is opposed to fake signature, "Gimei" (bad Mei). The term can be used for any thing or person who is perfectly genuine.