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:

01:20 — How do we practice sleeping meditation? 03:04 — Is there a point at which you would refuse to enjoy the art of an immoral artist? 06:50 — Will you watch the football playoffs? 09:19 — What does "dharma transition" mean to you? 11:00 — What does it mean to be human? 16:18 — Are you aware of any unhealthy behaviors you engage in? 17:45 — Because we are always thinking, is this why we need to wake up? 27:00 — What draws you to areas of war and conflict? 29:46 — Do you believe it is possible to overcome one's conditioning by spending time with others whose conditioning is different? 31:12 — Is being busy a way of avoiding presence? 32:56 — Is there a reason not to follow the breath in and out during sitting meditation? 36:53 — Is emptiness the same as impermanence? 38:35 — What facilitates awakening? 40:40 — If we educate children about uncertainty, how can we do so without creating fear?

6. From Busyness to Being: Questions on Presence, Dharma, and Transformation (#76)