14. On Practice, Awareness, Ordination, and Compassion (#70)

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind. This episode was recorded on October 27th, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherland where Claude AnShin Thomas gave a public talk and answered questions from the audience. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: - AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as ebook and audiobook)  - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as ebook and audiobook) - On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024, also as ebook) - Applied Zen- A Short Guide to an Active Meditation Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2025, also as ebook) https://www.zaltho.org/books/ To support us, please donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps:46:36 – How do you feel about your mother? 49:08 – Are you more aware now than when you first began your practice? 53:02 – What changed for you that led you to become ordained? 56:54 – Why don't you like the word compassion? 1:00:23 – Why did you stop practicing martial arts? 1:03:40 – Could you talk about the "Caring Professionals" retreat?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - speaks about recovery from addiction in relation to Buddhist practice and responds to questions in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind. This episode was recorded at an online talk as the keynote speaker at an online summit conference of the international Buddhist Recovery Network. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: - AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as ebook and audiobook)  - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as ebook and audiobook) - On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024, also as ebook) - Applied Zen- A Short Guide to an Active Meditation Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2025, also as ebook)   https://www.zaltho.org/books/ To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps:
 31:28
 Could you describe the two types of karma? And how do you spell "Mara," and what does it mean? 33:30
 You mentioned that we don't really have choices. Could you say more about that? 35:06
 What is the second part of making one's bed in the morning? 35:50
 I am curious about your pilgrimage from Poland to Vietnam—could you share more about that? 39:12
 What can I do in response to the rise of authoritarianism in the United States? 42:20
 Could you explain the logic or purpose behind making one's bed in the morning? 44:37
 How did you work through or heal from your war wounds? 46:29
 Do you still attend AA meetings? 47:00
 Could you tell us about your experience studying in a monastery? 48:20
 Sometimes I can sit easily; other times it's difficult. How should I work with shorter or more challenging sitting periods? 50:40
 What do you recommend for those of us who live alone and tend to stay in our heads a lot? 52:00
 Regarding sitting with suffering—did you learn to do that on your own or with others? 53:55
 Do you believe addiction can be cured? 56:20 
Can you recommend any books that have been helpful to you?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, peace activist, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind.   This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses on September 14th, 2025 after Claude AnShin Thomas' weeklong visit to Odessa, Ukraine and a 5-day pilgrimage in and around Cologne, Germany. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as audiobook) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as audiobook) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/books/  To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: 1:09 — How do you work with ambivalence? 1:47 — How do you deal with people who are inattentive? 2:53 — In addition to waking up, is sitting also a practice for reducing suffering? 4:48 — Does ambivalence manifest as resistance? 5:23 — Are you afraid of rejection? 6:00 — What kinds of reflections have arisen for you after your recent visit to Ukraine? 7:24 — Can you tell us what will happen tomorrow as you begin your pilgrimage? 8:55 — Do you think it's helpful to work with the nervous system and how it stores trauma responses? 9:40 — What is your experience of walking in silence during pilgrimage? 11:02 — Would you be willing to share something about your trip to Ukraine and your time with Washin? 17:40 — During pilgrimage, did you sing out loud or remain silent?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions from veterans based on his decades of Zen practice and his life experiences to include war. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind. This episode was recorded during a period of questions & responses during a 5-day veterans retreat in March of 2020 to address the consequences of military post-traumatic stress. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as audiobook) -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as audiobook) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/books/ To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: 1:07 When I choose not to speak about certain things, is that avoidance or acceptance? 1:28 Is avoidance always something I should avoid? 16:57 Should I stay or leave the retreat? 18:10 Could you share more about what it means to surrender? 22:46 Is it possible to truly redeem oneself? 29:10 How can one find balance in life? 34:00 How do you relate to suffering? 52:06 Do you ever miss being a soldier?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, peace activist, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind.   This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses in spring 2022. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Zen monk Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Zen Book recommendations:-       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as audiobook) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as audiobook) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/zen-books-by-zen-monk-claude-anshin-thomas/ To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: (1:47) How is the Zaltho Zen community responding to the ongoing war in Ukraine? (12:30) As someone living in Hungary, there's a real possibility that the war could reach us. What should we do if that happens? (18:18) What emotions arise for you when you see images from the war in Ukraine? (25:16) What advice would you offer to President Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian government, and the Ukrainian people?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind. This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as audiobook) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as audiobook) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/zen-books-by-zen-monk-claude-anshin-thomas/  To support, donate.  If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: 1:11 Are you initiating a new lineage? 2:14 During your pilgrimage from Auschwitz to Vietnam, did you encounter any teachers who were especially meaningful to you? 3:33 How do you sustain your curiosity about everything? 5:32 From your perspective, what makes a community truly meaningful or healthy? 7:04 How do you define self-esteem? 7:38 Do you believe that with heightened awareness, one can sense the movement of the planet? 8:36 Are there aspects of your conditioning that actually support your practice? 19:15 How do you care for yourself while also meeting the demands of others? 21:30 When I face an obstacle, should I focus on solving it directly, or shift to doing something different? 25:31 How do you recognize when your practice has weakened? 27:46 What is the current situation with COVID-19 in the U.S.? 32:46 Do you allow your practice to guide how you navigate your feelings? 36:55 While walking in Bosnia, were you aware you might be crossing a minefield? 46:18 Did your experience of living on the street help prepare you for being on pilgrimage?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind.   This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021, also as audiobook) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003, also as audiobook) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/zen-books-by-zen-monk-claude-anshin-thomas/ To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: 01:14 – How has your spiritual practice affected how you relate to your body? 06:25 – Would you share a time when you intentionally practiced self-denial? 09:13 – How did you deal with the violence you experienced as a child? 11:34 – What's your experience with what people call "wisdom"? 11:53 – How do you define delusion? 12:12 – Is action the absolute realm, and ideas the relative realm? 16:50 – What's the purpose of the precept of chastity? 18:37 – What do the scrolls behind you say? 19:15 – Have you ever had an experience where the world told you the opposite of what you believed or saw? 21:13 – If action and observation are so different, what's the value in just observing? 24:03 – Why do the icons on the altar have different hairstyles and robes? 25:19 – When you act spontaneously, are you ever afraid of making a mistake? 28:01 – Would you talk about building the zendo? 33:19 – Do you know when the drum was added to the Kan Ro Man? 34:29 – Has the way you do the Buddhist services changed over the years?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - speaks with veterans on the themes of personal transformation, the complexity of war, and the deep moral and spiritual inquiry reflected in the questions—while remaining short, impactful, and thought-provoking. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021) - AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003) - On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/zen-books-by-zen-monk-claude-anshin-thomas/ To support, donate. If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps:1:24 What was your process of discharging from the Army after the Vietnam War? 4:35 Would you expand on the topic of being both a victim and a perpetrator? 9:16 Would you speak on the practice of bearing witness? 12:25 How would you say the various war conflicts differ or are similar? 15:20 How do I sit with the realization that I am my own enemy? 18:42 Do you believe veterans deserve a special treatment? 23:00 How to you speak with people who are living in a country at war about the fact that violence is not a solution? 26:45 Did you educate yourself before you went into Bosnia Herzegovina?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind.   This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Book recommendations: -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024) https://www.zaltho.org/books/ To support, donate.  If you are interested in a specific question, this is the list of questions that Claude AnShin responded to and the time stamps for those questions so that you can go directly to the topic that is of most interest to you. Questions and Time Stamps: 1:05 – What impresses you with Fayan Wenyi's teachings? 1:16 – What is your perception of Pope Francis? 1:52 – What do you think of institutions of churches in general? 2:43 – When I remain silent, how can truth be recognized? 3:02  – What would you say is the difference between intellectualization versus study of a teaching? 4:14  – What is your position on dispute and on arguing? 6:13 – When you were on pilgrimage, what was it like to be refused when asking for food, shelter, or basic needs? 8:07 – Have you ever had any conversations with chaplains in the military about their role? 9:46 – How do you keep yourself from feeling superior? 11:38 – What is humanness for you? 12:23 – How has the transition been traveling from New England to Florida this last week? 13:41 – Do you ever talk about others errors and faults and if you always abstain from blaming and criticizing others? 15:23 – How important is it to take a break, relax, or to restore yourself? 16:24 – With getting older have you become more patient or impatient? 17:15 – Have you been inspired by Thomas Merton or Enomiya-LaSalle? And if so, how?

Claude AnShin Thomas - Zen Buddhist monk, combat veteran, and author - responds to questions from students in an inspiring manner based on his Zen practice and life experiences. He reminds the listener how to stay awake to life and understand more deeply the traps of a deluded mind. This episode was recorded during a weekly online meeting of questions & responses. For more information: https://www.zaltho.org If you want to ask Zen monk Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to [email protected]. Zen Book recommendations: -       Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing 2021) -       AT HELL'S GATE - A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace (Shambhala Publications 2003) -       On the Edges of Sleep: Poems of War and Memory (Oakwood Publishing 2024)   https://www.zaltho.org/books/ To support, donate. Questions and Time Stamps: 1:16 What does the word "manifestation" mean to you?2:45 What is the purpose of your observation about your cushion that you just shared? 7:10 Would you speak about your experience losing someone close to you? 14:28 Is there a specific ritual you do when a human or natural disaster occurs? 16:30 When you go to a prison, how do you work with the inmates? 18:30 Who or what supported you in becoming a better communicator? 24:46 What is Vietnam-Veterans-Day and what does it mean to you? 26:59 Is having a passion for practice ever problematic? 30:06 How did you start meditation groups in other countries? 38:06  Is following a daily series of specific actions a useful practice? 40:08 How do you relate to passion? 41:18 How do you deal with expecting too much of someone else? 47:50 Do you have an interest to go to Russia?