In learning my path and the next steps, the school of Japanese Soto Zen fits with my current beliefs and emerging philosophy, based on my high-level interpretation of these two schools of thought.
- Tibetan Buddhism Mahayana – Always working and reaching for enlightenment, as an end-goal of sorts.
- Japanese Buddhism Soto Zen – You are already enlightened, and the work is becoming more aware of this, and how to exist within this space
In addition to reading poetry and stories of Zen Masters, I found two learning centers near me. One is the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. I have decided to take the class “Four Noble Truths: How do we walk the path from suffering to peace?”
The first and most fundamental teaching of the Buddha is the Middle Way: the alleviation of suffering through compassionate action, meditation and mindful living. The Four Noble Truths of dissatisfaction, its cause, its cessation, and the path to end it explain how and why to practice this Middle Way. In this class we will investigate how suffering is caused by desire and aversion, by wanting things to be other than how they are, and how we can follow the Buddhist Eightfold Path to move towards a deep and quiet joy.
