Birth, the first of the four universal sufferings, can take many forms - the birth of a new being, of course, and also of many other births: of pleasure, ideas, relationships, challenges, confusion, aspirations, spiritual practices, creative projects, work, living situations, healing seasons – all aspects of life that can undergo transformation or emergence, including the birth of identity formations that create sense of self. All beginnings can cause distress when they arise due to our attachments and desires. How do we work with the koan of birth? Returning to beginner’s mind, to not knowing, letting of fixed ideas, we practice opening to love and care that is large enough to include uncertainty and the impossibility of possessing or controlling outcomes.