I know I should probably stop digging for a while and just do my daily practices and read the beginner books, but I want to know that choosing Zen was the right move for me (not that I can't change my mind). I'm getting more confused all the time. One of the forums has a section on Zen and all these practitioners can't seem to agree...they directly contradict major points of what Zen is. A couple of them did say though to not take their word for it but to find out for oneself from reliable sources. Zen isn't nearly as popular in the UK as it in the US.
Guess I should find out more about what each school of Buddhism entails......
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From what I know, Zen Buddhism could be translated as Taoist-Informed Buddhism. So, if you want to come to better understand Zen, you might first wish to explore philosophical Taoism. It might help you get a better handle on Zen...then again, it might not. :)
I wanted to add another observation. While books and the words of others can certainly aid us in our quest for Tao (or Zen), we can each only discover it through our own volition. I think this explains why you've read of so many [seemingly] contradictions. Each person must uncover the truth for themselves and, because we are all unique, your truth may differ from my truth. This doesn't mean that one truth is surperior to another; it just means they are different.
Since I've only been exploring Buddhism for just over a month I began by asking questions on message boards. Although I discovered many helpful resources through them, I recently decided to quit frequenting message boards due to the contradictions. I'm on my own (retreats later on). Thich Nhat Hanh is the best resource I could find!
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