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 info@zaltho.org. 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:

1:19 What positive qualities did you receive from your parents?

3:58 Do you ever play board games in a group setting?

5:28 How do you work with the more uncomfortable parts of yourself that you inherited from your father?

7:30 Do you also lead recitations during the Saturday online sitting meditation?

9:54 Living in my country feels demanding and challenging, especially as a sensitive person. Do you have any suggestions for working with this reality?

20:13 When your heart is broken, how do you work with that?

30:27 I was stung by a bee, and now the bee is suffering and will likely die. I don't know what to do—how would you respond in this situation?

32:48 Would you be willing to share about your time in Hamburg?

36:00 When you live your principles out loud, do others sometimes experience it as an attempt to convince them?

37:23 Where did the "not-nice person" you once referred to yourself as go?

39:48 Do you think aggressive and violent behavior is an issue related to the male gender?

3. What We Inherit, How We Practice, and How We Meet Suffering (#73)