4. On Truth, Finding One's Voice, Skillful Means, Visiting the Ukraine (#74)

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, 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: 1:18 What impact has telling your war trauma story over and over had on you? 8:28 What has made the past days where you are currently staying feel powerful? 11:17 How do you ensure that you have access to the conditioning from your early childhood? 13:43 Do you find spiritual value in photos from the past? 18:11 Would you share what you mean by "skillful means"? 21:23 In that example of skillful means, how are you not being entirely truthful? 22:58 For KenShin: What has it been like to host a teenager at the Center? 26:24 I have a good friend who is Jewish and feels unsafe in Germany due to increased antisemitism. I sometimes feel selfish just sitting and observing my breath in response to my sense of helplessness. Are you familiar with these feelings, and how do you work with them? 31:48 When you give instructions on sitting meditation, do you follow a set sequence, or do you present the information differently each time? 34:51 When you are traveling, what does it mean to have a place to return to, such as the Magnolia Zen Center? Does it feel like home? 38:18 When you were in the Ukraine, did you sense anger, victimhood, or blame in the people you interacted with?