Monk Founder

Each of you is perfect the way you are, and you can use a little improvement.
- Shunryū Suzuki

Preamble

Should I become a founder or a monk? As for a driven mind there's no in-between.

When one becomes aware of the four noble truth there arises a sense of personal moral responsibility to achieve enlightenment. Why would you choose to pursue anything else if the only thing that keeps hurting you is solvable?

I've come to a realization that I will probably never escape suffering - and that's okay.

Duhkha

The four sights have awakened the Buddha to the realities of human suffering and have inspired him to seek a solution. This was approximately 25 centuries ago. What happened to the personal human suffering since then? Has it not gone down? We cured so many diseases, and improved the quality of life so dramatically for so many people.

These days, does one have to overcome dukkha?
Does one still have the personal moral responsibility to do so?
What if one is okay with the life the way it currently is?

More often I find people that, while not being blinded by the vail of their ignorance, are completely fine with engaging in lila and accepting both suffering and happiness.

Unfortunately, one must be unsatisfied with the world in order to make it better. Thus, a "founder monk" is an oxymoron.
The same unsatisfaction one is trying to overcome is essential for the other to exist.

Let's exercise a thought that tomorrow everyone becomes enlightened. Would this not quickly drive humanity to extinction? The mere desire to reproduce directly leads to attachment and suffering.

What if living with unsatisfaction is the only way to decrease everyone's suffering?
What if as humanity, we can continue to decrease it further?

That is to say, is this not the boddhisatva ideal?
Would you not trade a little bit of personal suffering for an attempt to make everyone's life better?
And if so, don't you have a moral responsibility to do so?

Approaching the middle-way

Answering those questions, the world is truly unsatisfactory and I think it's fine.

As long as one is not lost in dualistic views and the pursuit of egotistic desires, one may try to build for everyone's benefit.

Perhaps this understanding is within many practitioners that don't give up on the regular life to become monks. One might try to approximate the teachings as much as possible, without giving up to vows.

Getting closer to the middle way will help to distinguish the truth, not focusing on it too much will help you stay grounded, this seems like the most optimal of choices.

Approaching the middle-way seems increasingly simpler when one arrives at tathata.

It's funny because I think western thought has arrived at this concept on it's own, through stoic efforts and, unmistakably, memes.

You know the power of "it is what it is"? Then you know tathata.

Although all dualities arise from the One,
do not cling even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
everything is without fault.
— 鑑智僧璨, 信心銘

This non-judgemental view on reality, when even suffering is appreciated, brings pure bliss to my heart.

The Great Way is all-embracing,
not easy, not difficult.
Those who rely on limited views are fearful and irresolute;
the faster they hurry, the slower they go.

Clinging, they go too far,
even an attachment to enlightenment is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way as they are,
and there is neither coming nor going
— 鑑智僧璨, 信心銘

Maybe giving up on nirvana would actually get you closer to it.