Boto: beginners mind for a joyful life

The pink river dolphin is endemic to the Amazon basin in South America. These lovely animals expand through one of the world's greatest river systems, the Amazon River, into seven different countries. This species of dolphin is the largest river dolphin in the world, with the males reaching over eight feet in length and weighing up to 400 pounds, living well up to 30 years.

When these river dolphins reach adulthood, they attain a pink color. Their name translated in Portuguese is boto rosa, as this is an endearing term. Fun fact: when they get excited, they turn even more pink, a flush of red rose, as if blushing.

As is common with other dolphins, the boto seems to always be smiling, a slight grin curving on the sides of the jaw, inviting us to smile along and enjoy the ride of life. These rare and beautiful dolphins are charismatic and energetic.

They invoke a sense of wonder and free spirit, carefree and joyful in their lovely river. In South America, these dolphins are considered mythical, and they are respected and revered.

The pink river dolphin has an unusually large brain size, as they are the smartest of all river dolphins. They communicate with high-frequency sonar clicks, establishing a three-dimensional echogram in their vast, rich environment.

These animals are quite shy, yet extremely curious, remarkably drawn to humans, inviting openness and playfulness, especially with children. Botos are super playful and can be spotted from the river's edge, entertaining and frolicking in the water, such a joyful life!

These river dolphins are superbly agile, able to maneuver through tree branches and other obstacles, and have no problem turning around on a whim and whisking through the muddy waters of the Amazon.

Even in adulthood, the pink river dolphin plays and stays curious. They are great teachers on how we can always maintain a sense of new and open curiosity, allowing easy energy to expand our awareness.

By maintaining a light, open heart, we can experience each moment as fresh and new. The boto exhibits a childlike behavior of wonder and awe. This opens up our experiences to joy and smiles.

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The eminent Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki was a master teacher of the concept of Zen mind, i.e., beginner's mind. He stated,

"If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."

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When we have a beginner's mind, we approach our moments with exploratory joy and wonder. This sparks creativity while stimulating our nervous system to relax and enjoy the experience.

A beginner's mind calms the mind while energizing our processes; it's a win-win. We can play, swim, and maneuver all experiences with this wonderful curiosity, as a beginner's mind is new and fresh!

It's like that warm and fuzzy sensation we get when we pet a puppy, feeling little butterflies inside, happy and joyous just to be alive. The river dolphin teaches us to remember our beginner's mind, becoming childlike with fantastic awareness.

Approaching life with this mindset, while instilling practice and consistency, our mind rewires our being (or shall we say unwires) into a joyful life full of inquisitive existence. With practice in openness and playfulness in our moments, one day, eventually, this will become spontaneous.

We become the masters of the art and craft of joyfulness, with pleasure and peace. So, throughout our day, remember these dolphins in our minds; visualize a river, watch the dolphins play, and remind ourselves every moment to have the swim of our lives!

Cheers!

Kether

Spunky Mind

"The goal of practice is always

keep our beginner's mind"

Shunryu Suzuki