Dear RoshiI am a professional artist teacher and art critic. Much of my life is taken up making discriminations between works of art. My job involves daily thinking and talking about dissimilarities of quality craft and intention. My practice in Buddhism comprises a larger mind that takes things as they are without focusing upon discriminating or saying this is better than this. Are these different manners of thinking and being in the world reconcilable? Or should I hold both as a natural part of human existenceBig mind meeting little mind?

Mind has no form, so it cannot become big or small. Yet we can have a habit to be moved around by certain things, and at those times, the mind can only function in a narrow way. Especially in your position as an art critic, please look at the art pieces from a huge mind, and then it is not that you are judging them, but that you are pointing at how further development would be possible. If your perception helps the artist to develop further, to deepen in expression, to be inspired to continue, then your work is of great value. I pray that you may do this kind of high quality work.