Peter Schneider (Zen priest) Peter Schneider (Zen priest) Peter Schneider (born 1937) is a Sōtō Zen priest, founder of Beginner's Mind Zen Center, located in Northridge, California. Peter and Jane Schneider were early students of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi in the 1960s. Both served as Suzuki-roshi's jisha (personal attendant) in the early years of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Peter and Jane also assisted in transcription of his dharma talks for later publishing. Following Suzuki-roshi’s death, they accepted scholarships from the San Francisco Zen Center to study Buddhism in Japan. They lived and studied in Japan from 1973 to 1995. They founded the Beginner’s Mind Zen
Faith in Buddhism of Buddhist theory and practice. This development led to the devotion movement of Pure Land Buddhism, whereas in Zen Buddhism it led to the emphasis of seeking the Buddha Nature within oneself. Terms for faith that are primarily used in Mahāyāna Buddhism are "Xin" (Chinese) and "shin" (Japanese): these terms can refer to trust, but also an unquestioned acceptance of the object of one's devotion. They are also used, as it is in Chan and Zen Buddhism, with regard to a confidence that the Buddha nature ("tathāgatagarbha") is hidden within one's mind, and can be found as one suspends the