I don't know mind

An expression in Zen for a fertile, empty, listening mind is "I don't know mind".

The statement "I don't know" doesn't signify ignorance or stupidity or even humility; rather, it points to this kind of ready, fertile, receptive mind that has no preconceptions and no identities that need to be held as barriers against what wants to come in.
When an old Zen master was asked about this "I don't know mind", he said, "Not knowing is the most intimate". Since knowing gives us a definition and control, it enables us to keep the world at arm's length. Having established our ideas and preferences about what is, we no longer have to bother to pay attention. Not knowing, on the other hand, leaves us vulnerable and free. It brings us very close to experience, unprotected and fully engaged. Not knowing, we merge with what confronts us. We let go of identity and evaluation and allow ourselves to surrender to amazement.

so much more intimate not to know....this is from Norman Fischer's book...."Taking Our Places"....it is about growing up....maturing in the world of everything....not just what we choose or design.

gassho