17. Relative and Absolute Realms, the Ceremony for the Dead and Navigating a War Zone (#87)

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 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:
- 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/

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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:

1:16 — What is it like being with your grandchildren?

1:37 — Has your purple rakusu ever been pressed?

2:20 — In the Ceremony of the Dead, the word evil is used. What is your understanding of evil?

6:30 — How did you navigate the relationship between martial arts and drug use?

10:45 — Could you explain the opening ritual in which you recite and bow in different directions?

14:30 — Your daughter-in-law says she doesn’t know what you do. How would you explain your practice to her?

15:09 — Does not influencing your children leave them vulnerable to evil?

19:10 — When you travel to Ukraine or other places experiencing conflict, what do you do that helps you navigate those experiences?

29:00 — Martial arts and pepper spray are often used by women for self-protection. What are your thoughts on this?

32:55 — Which book or books are you currently reading?

34:55 — How do you reconcile the feeling that you aren’t doing enough to save the planet?

37:35 — Could you speak about the absolute and relative realms?