9. On Community, Self Esteem, Problem Solving, and Walking on Pilgrimage
ZalthoLIVE - Claude AnShin Thomas
Release Date: 08/17/2025
13. On Addiction Recovery based on Buddhist Practice (#69)
ZalthoLIVE - Claude AnShin Thomas
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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . ...
info_outline
12. On Ambivalence, Attention, Resistance on Pilgrimage and in a War Zone #68
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please...
info_outline
11. Claude AnShin Thomas with Veterans on Acceptance, Surrender, Balance, and Indecisiveness
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Book recommendations: ...
info_outline
10. Useful Responses on the War in the Ukraine (repost from March 2022)
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Zen monk Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Zen Book recommendations:- Bringing...
info_outline
9. On Community, Self Esteem, Problem Solving, and Walking on Pilgrimage
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice...
info_outline
8. On Self Denial, Wisdom, Delusion, Chastity and Making Mistakes
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen...
info_outline
7. Bearing Witness to War: Reflections on Violence, Identity, and the Path to Peace, Claude AnShin Thomas Speaks With Veterans
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . 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...
info_outline
6. On Silence, Arguing, Being Rejected, Arrogance, and Getting Older
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen...
info_outline
5.On Manifestation, Loss, Communication, Passion, Expectations, and Daily Routines
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Zen monk Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Zen Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of...
info_outline
4.On Sincerity, Working with: a Busy Mind, Powerlessness, Low Moods, Physical Pain, Rats, Real Teachers
ZalthoLIVE - 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: If you want to ask Claude AnShin Thomas a question, please feel free to write to . Book recommendations: - Bringing Meditation to Life - 108 Teachings on the Path of Zen Practice (Oakwood Publishing...
info_outlineClaude 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 info@zaltho.org.
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?