1. On Authenticity, Illness, and What Practice Asks of Us (#71)

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/ To support, pease 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: 1:08 – Do you have any contact with anyone from your time of service in Vietnam? 2:14 – Are you reading anything at the moment? 6:07 – What would you say to someone who has a terminal illness? 10:07 – Did you ever face difficulties because you were being authentic? 11:49 – Do you use AI? 14:45 – How do you work with transitions? 17:15 – Could you speak about the perception that consequences are only punitive? 22:26 – When consequences in a conflict feel limiting, how should one respond or behave? 28:00 – How would you respond to someone who is ill and believes that God is punishing them? 30:09 – Why did you leave Plum Village, and are you still in contact with anyone from that time? 37:07 – What does transforming anger look like to you? 39:28 – What is your personal understanding of the meaning of terminal illness, if it is not a punishment from God?